Local, state, and federal officials, however, are continuing their investigation to see if there are more cases. Florida health officials said t. “It’s just becoming a reality”, Marylander Robert Merz said.
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According to the CDC, at least 50 pregnant women a day are affected in the US. “We will continue to support Florida’s efforts to investigate and respond to Zika and will reassess the situation and our recommendations on a daily basis”.
For Zika to become a homegrown virus in the mainland United States, a mosquito would have to bite a Zika-infected person and then bite another person, passing on the virus.
Meanwhile, three more people have been found to have Zika in the United Kingdom after returning from overseas. While most people who get Zika don’t even know they are sick, infection during pregnancy can cause severe brain-related birth defects, including abnormally small heads.
“While no mosquitoes trapped tested positive for the Zika virus, the department believes these cases were likely transmitted through infected mosquitoes in this area”, it said. But, the CDC has long warned that it would have to rely on human infections to track Zika outbreaks in the United States. “Our top priority is to protect pregnant women from the potentially devastating harm caused by Zika”. All three of the patients had reported traveling to Central America and the Caribbean, officials added. Visit Florida reports that visits to the state were up by 6.6% in the first quarter of this year. Keep in mind to use an insect repellent registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, use or fix screens on windows and doors, use air conditioning when available, and remove standing water where mosquitoes can lay eggs.
The Zika virus can be much more risky for pregnant women.
No misquitos in CT have tested positive for the Zika virus, however, one of the two types of mosquitoes that can carry the disease have been found along the CT shoreline. “Floridians can do their part by draining standing water surrounding their homes, as it can serve as breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that are capable of transmitting the virus”.
There is no treatment or preventive vaccine for Zika.
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“If you have recently returned from an area where Zika virus transmissions are now reported and have a fever or flu-like illness, seek medical attention without delay”. Partners of pregnant women are advised to use a condom to guard against sexual transmission during pregnancy.
