As a result, Palm Beach County joined Miami-Dade and Pinellas counties in having infections confirmed as occurring locally. Infection by the Zika virus diverts a key protein necessary for neural cell division in the developing human fetus, thereby causing the birth defect microcephaly, according to a new report from a team of scientists out of Yale University.
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Officials say a second person in Palm Beach County, Florida, has contracted the Zika virus through a local mosquito.
Zika is particularly unsafe to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects.
However, the danger of mosquito-borne Zika infection for pregnant American women became more imminent this month, with two neighborhoods in the Miami area reporting cases of locally acquired infection.
The news comes a day after radiologists in Boston and Brazil published scans showing the wide range of birth defects that can occur in babies affected by the Zika virus.
Health officials in the United States have already been preparing for the possibility of Zika transmission via blood transfusion.
A person in Bulloch County has tested positive for the Zika virus. The Dolphins are contracted with a pest control company that has followed CDC (Center for Disease Control) recommendations in its multi-step approach and are using products deemed safe for people, pets and aquatic life.
Health experts do stress that the vast majority of the more than 2,260 Zika infections so far reported in the continental United States have been linked to travel overseas – to countries with Zika outbreaks in Latin America or the Caribbean. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil. “That includes funds to purchase the other products they might want in a Zika prevention kit”, he said.
In addition to mosquitoes, the Zika virus can be transmitted through sex.
Scott also said the state has asked the CDC for 10,000 Zika prevention kits for pregnant women, which have not been provided.
The CDC advises pregnant women not to travel to an area where active Zika transmission is ongoing, and to use insect repellent and wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts if they are in those areas.
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Scott said he asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 5,000 Zika antibody tests last week, but so far had only received less than 1,200. Partners of pregnant women are advised to use a condom to guard against sexual transmission during pregnancy.
