In this February 24, 2016 file photo, workers from the Puerto Rico Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention review Zika-related data collected by the island’s health department and the CDC in San Juan.
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Florida has documented 25 non-travel related cases of Zika that were likely contracted from mosquitoes in the state or from sexual transmission.
Health Secretary Ana Rius said Friday there are 10,690 cases altogether, including 1,035 involving pregnant women.
Zika virus is of greatest threat to pregnant women, as their child may be at risk for certain severe birth defects as a result of infection. Transmission of the virus during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects, such as microcephaly, which affects brain development.
Garcia recently authorized the use of Bti, an organic larvicide, to fight the spread of Zika after rejecting aerial spraying with the insecticide naled as proposed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just last month, four people in the downtown Miami area had become infected due to mosquito bites, and that number has continued to rise in recent weeks.
The CDC confirmed almost 6,600 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus in Puerto Rico as of August 10.
Murthy said more funding is needed to ease a backlog of tests for Zika in Puerto Rico.
Most people who contract Zika have no symptoms.
The CDC recommends women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant postpone travel to areas where there is widespread Zika infection.
The new survey was conducted three days after the first 15 non-travel-related cases of Zika were reported in the Miami area.
Keystone said the Aedes mosquito is a daytime-biting insect most active in the morning and late afternoon, and using mosquito repellent and covering your body as much as possible in areas with Zika outbreaks is important.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at a press briefing that NIAID would need $33 million in funds to advance the first vaccine candidate to Phase 2 clinical trials, Clark and Steenhuysen report.
A FEW AMERICAN athletes are taking some ribbing from the Brazilians attending the Summer Olympics over the media hype about the Zika virus.
This species has not yet been known to transmit Zika because it does not live where Zika is now common – the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
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With almost two-thirds of Florida’s public school districts now in session, state Education Commissioner Pam Stewart and Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday briefed school superintendents on efforts to combat the Zika virus.
