Two babies have been born with Zika-related birth defects in California to mothers who were infected overseas, health officials said Thursday.
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US health authorities have said they don’t expect major outbreaks in this country, in part because of better sanitation and the use of air conditioners and window screens.
The funds were provided to states and territories based on their risk of Zika virus transmission, population need, and availability of funds.
Symptoms include fever, itching and muscle pain and scientists believe the infection can cause birth defects including an abnormally small head and brain damage. Pregnant women should worry about potential of their baby being born with microcephaly; otherwise, the virus produces effects no different than a bad flu. The virus is usually spread by mosquitoes, but it can also be passed through sex. Two Aedes mosquito species known to be able to transmit Zika have been found in four New Mexico counties.
As concerns about Zika virus intensify nationwide, IN health officials reported there have been 23 cases IN the Hoosier State.
State lawmakers requested the funding amid news of the virus spreading to the United States earlier this year.
Officials said there have been six laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus in the state. It has been three days since the CDC issued an unprecedented travel ban, telling pregnant women to stay away from that popular area of Miami. “I understand for pregnant women, but that’s being misinterpreted as don’t travel to Miami, don’t go to Wynwood”. A CDC expert is now conducting tests in Miami to see if mosquitoes in the area have developed insecticide resistance.
Dr. Vicki Kramer, chief of the vector-borne diseases section at the state health department, said the risk of local transmission of Zika virus is “low but certainly possible”. He is confident that the type of mosquito that transmits the disease isn’t found in Vermont.
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Health department officials did not reveal the neighborhood where the infected person lives, but said they are now going door to door in that neighborhood to talk to residents.
