Public health officials in England are advising pregnant women to delay nonessential travel to Florida after the first known cases of likely local transmission of the Zika virus were discovered in the U.S.
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“We continue to recommend that everyone in areas where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are present-and especially pregnant women-take steps to avoid mosquito bites”, Frieden said.
The tropical mosquito that spreads Zika and other viruses is also found in the southern U.S. Health officials have predicted that mosquitoes in the U.S. would begin spreading Zika this summer and have mobilized to keep it from spreading beyond isolated clusters. Zika is very unsafe for expecting moms as it can cause devastating birth defects, such as microcephaly, or unusual small heads, and underdeveloped brains.
“This means Florida has become the first state in our nation to have local transmission of the Zika virus”, Gov. Scott told reporters during a press conference on Friday. Officials said that those infected had probably been bitten by a mosquito, and said they suspected the cases originated in a one-square-mile area north of downtown Miami.
Zika virus has affected thousands of people in the Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly babies.
Its travel advice was updated after Florida confirmed four cases of the virus transmitted by local mosquitoes.
Zika causes only a mild illness in most people.
Florida’s main supplier of blood, OneBlood, said it was working as quickly as possible to comply with the FDA’s “unanticipated” request and would start testing all its collections for Zika straight away.
He later added, “This is not just a Florida issue”. This is a USA issue it is a national issue. While a small percentage of the cases were transmitted sexually, the majority of people became contracted the virus while traveling overseas, warranting the alarm for the recent cases in Florida.
“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.
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A CDC spokesperson said the question of whether to issue a travel recommendation is “literally a day-by-day decision”.
