Upon learning of the three pregnant women who tested positive for the virus, Florida Governor Rick Scott requested 250 additional Zika antibody tests for the state. A news release says all three cases are believed to be travel-related and that All 32 reported cases of Zika virus in Florida were acquired outside of the state.
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The CDC guidelines have recommended sexually active men, returning from Zika infected areas, to either abstain from sexual contact or use a condom to avoid transmission to their sexual partners.
Although Zika is not now being spread by mosquitoes in the continental USA, the number of Zika cases among travelers returning to the U.S.is expected to increase.
The virus is most commonly transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito biting an infected person, and then spreading it to others.
According to the CDC, all of the women now being tested for infection had engaged in sexual intercourse with male partners who had traveled to areas where a Zika virus outbreak has been confirmed. Health officials now have “no evidence that women can transmit Zika virus to their sex partners; however, more research is needed to understand this issue”.
Diagnosis of Zika is complicated by the fact that four out of five people infected do not show symptoms, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the lead US agency tasked with combating the virus’ spread.
Sexually transmitted Zika is turning out to be more than just an isolated case. “If you are pregnant, or may become pregnant, consider postponing your trip”, says Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The main culprit in the spread of Zika as well as other viruses.
On Tuesday, the CDC added two more countries, Trinidad and Tobago and the Marshall Islands, to its Zika virus travel advisory.
The Zika virus has now been found in semen, blood, urine, and saliva. Several of the cases involve pregnant women. “These data are illuminating some of the things we don’t know”. This marks a milestone in the response to the disease, which causes babies to be born with smaller heads and brains than normal.
Zika has caused outbreaks in at least 29 countries in the Americas.
The link hasn’t been confirmed but the possibility has prompted health officials to take cautionary steps to protect fetuses from the virus.
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McQuiston said the CDC is investigating the new reports of sexual transmission with the help of state public health departments.
