“We’re taking this extremely seriously”, he said during a news conference following a National Security Council meeting on the campaign to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
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“We are going to continue to be very aggressive”, he said. “Zika is now present in nearly every part of Puerto Rico, and now we have the first local transmission in Florida, and there will certainly be more”.
Scott has authorized $26.2 million in emergency funding to combat the disease, although he continues to look for more federal help, which has yet to come because Congress can’t agree on funding.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on Thursday announced that two infants with Zika-related microcephaly have been born in the state to women who contracted the virus while traveling to countries where the virus is endemic.
Health experts do not expect to see a widespread outbreak like those in Brazil or Puerto Rico, the president said.
Cases of Zika in the continental United States has risen to 15.
“But we can not be complacent, because we do expect to see more Zika cases”, he added.
The patient is not pregnant, and the Snohomish Health District is working closely with her health care provider to ensure that she follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
As of July 29, CDPH has confirmed 114 travel-associated Zika infections in 22 counties, with a total of 21 infections confirmed in pregnant women.
For more information about Zika and how to stay safe, visit the CDPH Zika website.
For women, this includes preventing pregnancy for eight weeks after symptom onset. More than 40 US service members have contracted the Zika virus overseas, he added. “But now, money we need to fight Zika is rapidly running out”, Obama said.
There is no Zika vaccine yet, but researchers said they are making progress.
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Currently, the yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquito species carry the virus, but haven’t appeared in Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties. One is a resident in Southwest Ranches and there are now two more suspected non-travel related Zika cases in Fort Lauderdale. They also conduct courtesy yard inspection of people in the vicinity of those who have tested positive for Zika.
