Scott also confirmed four new non-travel related cases of Zika in the impacted area in Wynwood, where the first locally transmitted USA cases were reported.
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There’s more bad news when it comes to Zika’s effect on infants: A case study suggests the virus can live and cause damage in newborns for at least two months after birth. There have been no reported cases of Zika virus disease transmitted by mosquitoes in Texas, but Texas is on alert for the possibility local transmission. Florida health officials have confirmed 42 Zika cases tied to mosquito bites there, as of Tuesday.
Manatee County officially has registered its third case of travel-related Zika virus.
There have been 44 confirmed cases of Zika virus in Australia this year, all acquired overseas.
Travel experts say families anxious about Zika are now looking to Arizona and Southern California to get some sun, along with cooler weather locales such as New England and Canada. Zika tends to target the cerebellum and the basal ganglia, inhibiting movement, balance, speech and emotion.
The CDC has issued Zika travel advisories for parts of Miami and the Caribbean, Central and South America, and the Pacific islands. The Department of Agriculture has tested more than 30,000 mosquitoes caught in traps and hasn’t found any with Zika, he said. It is most unsafe to pregnant women, due to the virus’ link to microcephaly, a devastating birth defect where babies are born with smaller than normal heads and underdeveloped brains.
“Once we see a certain number of pregnant women in the state [who have contracted the virus], then we’ll start releasing that [information]”, Mirivel said Wednesday.
Brazil is by far the country hit hardest by Zika, with thousands of cases of microcephaly so far reported.
The virus is most often spread by mosquito bites, and sometimes through sex. Florida has the expertise and experience necessary to combat Zika, and we will continue to do everything we can to keep Florida safe. The reason: better insect control as well as window screens and air conditioning that should help curtail any outbreaks.
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Dean of Students Patrice Jackson said in an email to the student body that this specific case is travel associated, and there is no evidence that Zika is being transmitted in the Statesboro area. Partners of pregnant women are advised to use a condom to guard against sexual transmission during pregnancy.
