Zika is a virus spread primarily through mosquitoes, as well as sexual contact with an infected person, that among other things can result in birth defects, including in rare cases the birth defect microcephaly. They include one in New Jersey.
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“Mosquitoes have been trapped in the area of investigation and are being tested”, Health Department spokeswoman Mara Gambineri said in an email Wednesday to The Associated Press.
A laboratory has confirmed a Fayette County infant has the Zika virus after the baby’s mother had traveled to an area where the virus was circulating when she was pregnant.
“Residents and visitors are urged to participate in requests for blood and urine samples by the department in the areas of investigation”, it said.
With the looming possibility the Zika virus will spread through the United States – with South Florida at the forefront – prevention is key. Two travel-related cases have been found in Missoula, the first last February and the other just this week.
Experts say another way to prevent mosquitos from breeding is to empty out any stagnant water that’s sitting around your house or near your property at least once a week. So far, 334 people are reported to have the virus in Florida, including 46 women who are pregnant.
On the other hand, US health officials announced on Monday the first Zika infection that was not acquired through sex or mosquito bite.
In this Monday, May 23, 2016 photo, Aedes aegypti mosquitos sit inside a glass tube at the Fiocruz institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It’s a portion of a $60 million pool that Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded to states around the county as they brace for more infections while the summer heats up.
A USA study published this week in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases found that a different type of Culex mosquito, Culex pipiens, was not capable of transmitting the Zika virus, leading researchers to conclude that transmission in the US from these mosquitoes is unlikely.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 12 infants born with Zika-related birth defects in US states and the District of Columbia as of July 14. Another 47 travel-related cases involving pregnant women have also been confirmed by the state. It also can be transmitted through unprotected sex with someone who is infected, so health officials worldwide have advised people preparing to have children against travel to high-risk areas.
Anyone concerned about infection with Zika virus should talk to their medical provider and share their travel history.
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Health leaders in the United States said the findings have to be replicated.
