Dr. Hunter says it is unlikely the virus will travel by mosquito from the only place in the continental USA where local transmissions have occurred, a square mile area in Miami-Dade County.
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The individual, identified by the El Paso Times as a man, contracted Zika while traveling to the Miami area where 30 cases of local mosquito transmission of the virus were reported. But the focus of concern for public health experts has moved to the United States with news of the first cases of local transmission of the virus.
The so-called “Zika zone” is between Northwest Fifth Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard to Northwest 38th and Northwest 20th streets.
But that number was dwarfed by 28 new travel-related cases Monday across the state.
It doesn’t mean Zika’s an epidemic just yet, but it does show just how easily the virus can spread once enough people in an area are infected.
State health officials urge Texans to follow simple precautions to protect themselves from mosquito bites such as using EPA-approved insect repellent, wearing loose-fitting clothes, using screens on windows and doors, and removing standing water around the home to avoid attracting mosquitoes.
Zika virus can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect, and more than 1,000 pregnant women are among those infected in Puerto Rico. Both are in Miami-Dade County, and Scott said the state still believes local transmissions are occurring in one-square mile in Wynwood, a trendy arts neighborhood near Miami.
There are 7300 cases of Zika nationwide, 972 are pregnant women.
The virus can be transmitted through mosquitoes, in the womb, through sexual transmission and through infusions.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio joined Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, State Senator and congressional candidate Adriano Espaillat, Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Mary Basset to update New Yorkers on Zika virus on Tuesday and to call for the federal government to increase funding to the city. CDC recommends that a pregnant woman with a history of Zika virus and her provider should consider additional ultrasounds. Resendes said the man has since recovered. But Brock entomologist Fiona Hunter says Zika has been found in more than 20 species of mosquito. Even if a person does not feel sick, travelers returning to the United States from other countries should take steps to prevent mosquito bites for 3 weeks so that they do not spread Zika to uninfected mosquitoes.
In addition to mosquitoes, the Zika virus can be transmitted through sex.
Today the county is joining with “promotoras” and other local groups to reach those in need.
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Any pregnant woman who has traveled to areas affected by Zika should talk to her doctor. Use repellent and wear long sleeves and trousers.
