She gave birth a few weeks ago. The Florida Department of Health has identified 17 positive cases of the Zika virus within a square-mile area just north of downtown Miami in the Wynwood neighborhood, The Wall Street Journal reports.
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The Zika virus has also raised questions about abortion, given the link between the virus and microcephaly in babies born of infected women. In 1952, the first human cases of Zika were detected and since then, outbreaks of disease have been reported in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.
He said the county is stepping up outreach into the most vulnerable neighborhoods, along with surveillance and trapping.
“Ultimately, we have a responsibility to protect the public, and I think everyone in public health and government has accepted that”, Frieden said. This brings the total to 21.
“Clearly everything that they’re doing in Florida would be replicated here”, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said.
Texas has reported 97 Zika cases, all contracted during travel overseas. Also, except for small infants, the CDC recommends bug spray, especially those made with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane-diol. The Obama Administration has still not fulfilled our requests for an additional 10,000 Zika prevention kits for pregnant women or a detailed plan on how they would like Florida to work with FEMA on requesting emergency response funds since this has become mosquito-borne in our state.
However, Brown said just because most cases are contracted outside the state doesn’t mean the virus should be ignored.
Donald Trump has said little about the funding controversy, suggesting last week that Florida has the Zika fight under control.
“I disagree with those who say that Zika is an insignificant issue”, she said.
Seven women have lost pregnancies due to Zika. Those numbers could grow.
More than 7,300 Americans have been diagnosed with Zika, including 1,825 in the continental USA and Hawaii, according to the CDC.
Now in Florida, there are 369 travel-related infections of Zika in Florida, and 21 non-travel cases of which only six meet the CDC’s case definition. A bite from an Aedes mosquito can cause the Zika virus, with the potential to make a person very ill and harm unborn babies. Because most people who contract Zika only experience a mild infection marked by flu-like symptoms, experts believe it is much more widespread than reported.
CDC officials warn that Miami’s hot zone could have sporadic Zika cases for months and that other advisories could be issued elsewhere if cases emerge.
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Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon and death is rare. The lack of urgency was seen in a June Post-ABC poll, which found that while a 73 percent majority supported Obama’s proposed $2 billion spending on Zika prevention, less than half supported immediate approval if Obama and Republicans could not agree on other spending cuts.
