Welch said, “Our surveillance activities include working with hospitals and other health care providers who notify us if and when a possible Zika case is diagnosed”.
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The announcement came hours after Puerto Rico reported 1,914 new cases in the past week, for a total of 10,690 since the first one was reported in December.
Many people infected with zika virus do not get sick.
Males who develop Zika symptoms are urged to avoid sex or use condoms for six months after their return from a Zika affected area.
When a Dane County resident is diagnosed with Zika a PHMDC Public Health Nurse is assigned to follow up with the infected person and to provide education about how not to infect others through sexual activity.
The CDC recommends women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant postpone travel to areas where there is widespread Zika infection. Pregnant women can pass Zika to a fetus during pregnancy or at birth.
There have been no cases of Zika virus transmitted through mosquitoes in the state of Ohio.
“The current spread of Zika virus poses a significant threat to public health in the Commonwealth relating to pregnant women and children born to pregnant women with Zika”, HHS said in a statement.
The Obama administration in February requested $1.9 billion USA to fight the virus, which was first detected in Brazil a year ago and has spread rapidly in the Americas.
Some travelers to areas with zika will become infected while traveling but will not become sick until they return home and they might not have any symptoms.
Researchers say they’ve identified two proteins in the Zika virus linked to the severe birth defect microcephaly. Researchers have yet to determine how effectively that mosquito can transmit Zika in this climate.
Meanwhile, aerial spraying that began last week rapidly killed adult mosquitoes that ground-applied pesticides could not reach, Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, told the Associated Press.
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As of August 2, health officials said that any New Yorker over the age of 5 should be screened if they exhibit three or more of the disease’s most common symptoms: fever, a widespread, bumpy skin rash, joint pain, or pinkeye.
