US health officials had warned that there would be local transmission of the virus from mosquitoes, but say they don’t expect it to be widespread, as has been seen in Puerto Rico and throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean.
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US Senator Sherrod Brown announced Tuesday that the money will allow Ohioan to more quickly identify any birth defects, microcephaly, or other Zika-related birth complications. Zika has spread quickly through Puerto Rico, where it’s infected a reported 4,600 people since it appeared there in November 2015.
The travel warning covers an area of about one square mile, which health officials said was large enough to provide a buffer zone.
For authorities, stopping the spread of the virus is paramount, and protecting pregnant women a priority.
There is also the concern that there could be many more cases that are undiagnosed because those people have no symptoms.
According to the station, Florida authorities announced four Zika cases last week- the first that were contracted from United States mosquitoes. Couples who have traveled to the affected area should wait at least eight weeks before trying to get pregnant.
“This guidance is for people who live in or traveled to this area any time after June 15 (based on the earliest time symptoms can start and the maximum 2-week incubation period for Zika virus)”, stated the CDC anouncement. “However, if many mosquitoes are tested and none are positive that may be an indication that there are no infected mosquitoes present, or that the infection rate and associated risk of an infectious mosquito bite are very low”.
“We will continue to keep our residents and visitors safe utilizing constant surveillance and aggressive strategies, such as increased mosquito spraying, that have allowed our state to fight similar viruses”, he said.
Sexual activity can transmit the virus.
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Cuomo, who climbed onto the tracks of the Whitehall St. R train station with the chiefs of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the state Health Department, said state agencies will be coordinating the plan.
