One woman and three men were infected with the Zika virus in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
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Gov. Rick Scott said during a news conference in Orlanda that no mosquitoes in the state have tested positive for Zika.
“Since our first travel-related case in February, Florida has taken an aggressive approach and committed state and local resources to combat this virus”, Scott said.
Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for a few days but it can be found longer in some people.
Four cases of the Zika virus being transmitted locally by mosquitos in Florida have officially been confirmed.
Zika prevention kits are being distributed in the affected areas, which include Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, an emerging arts district. The FDA said in a statement that it is “a prudent measure to help assure the safety of blood and blood products”.
North-eastern Brazil has been the main area of concern, but more than 20 other countries have now been affected by the virus.
OneBlood said Friday that effective immediately, it will test blood donated through OneBlood’s services in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and SC for Zika virus. That’s based on outbreaks of two similar mosquito-borne diseases, dengue fever and chikungunya.
More than 1,600 cases of Zika have been reported in mainland US, but up until now all of the infections were contracted overseas or transmitted from someone who traveled to a country known to have mosquitos carrying the virus. None of those were the result of local spread by mosquitoes. The other case was sexually transmitted. Two travel related Zika cases have been reported in Escambia County. Only Idaho, South Dakota, Wyoming and Alaska have not reported it.
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“A total of 53 people have now been treated in the United Kingdom for the Zika infection, which has been associated with a birth defect called microcephaly, which results in children being born with abnormally small heads and brain damage”. The CDC is closely coordinating with Florida officials who are leading the ongoing investigations, and at the state’s request, sent a CDC medical epidemiologist to provide additional assistance. But it’s also been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a severe neurological disorder that can lead to paralysis and death. Some of these drugs – which treat infections, cancers, and even depression- also showed potential to prevent infection in certain cells tied to fetal defects in pregnant women.
