The number of travel-related cases of the Zika virus in Florida is quickly approaching 300 with confirmed Zika infections and public health emergencies declared in 27 Florida counties including Charlotte, Collier, and Lee.
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Ecuador is an area known to have mosquitoes that carry the virus. The main way people become infected is through carrier mosquitoes, and rarely through sexual contact, the release states. In a country of just 6 million people, the seemingly sudden rise of this health crisis seized those expecting or attempting to get pregnant with fears of devastating fetal defects like microcephaly, hearing loss and impaired growth.
He said much of the work surrounding the Zika virus has gone on behind doors, with planning meetings, aggressive testing of mosquitos, especially downstate, and a public relations push to alert pregnant women who are traveling. So they have yet to be added to the tally.
So far the cases involve travelers from cities such as DeSoto, Irving and Dallas who recently returned from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Dallas County officials said last month that 10 pregnant women tested positive for Zika, but it’s possible the women were infected with dengue fever or chikungunya instead.
The new case is a woman from Douglas County. If your partner does travel to those areas, you should abstain from sex or use condoms to prevent sexual transmission.
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“That will help us protect others”, he said. In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus infection in Brazil.
