“Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant should check if their travel destination is affected by Zika virus and may need to consider postponing their plans”, Murphy said.
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In the Tampa Bay area, all confirmed cases remain travel related, which means the virus was contracted while patients were traveling outside of the state.
But one Miami woman with Zika who lives outside of Wynwood in Miami has been reported this week.
Because zika virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes, CDC recommends that travelers to the Cayman Islands protect themselves from mosquito bites.
The public health officials will monitor school grounds for mosquito breeding areas, answer questions and provide parents with insect repellent. There are now 28 locally acquired cases in the tri-county area, after the Florida Department of Health announced the identification of three new locally acquired cases in Miami-Dade on Friday. The virus is associated with mild symptoms of fever, joint pain, rash or conjunctivitis.
Her response echoes that of many Congressional Democrats, who are frustrated the House left for vacation without passing viable legislation to fund Zika efforts.
Health officials have already confirmed that the virus can cause a birth defect called microcephaly – in which babies have abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains – and that the mosquito-borne virus can be spread from an infected person to his or her partner. According to Dr. Frank Welch, Medical Director for the department’s Bureau of Community Preparedness, the early detection of local transmission of the Zika virus is a key strategy to prevent its spread. Officials said this case does not pose a risk to the public in Grant County or in Washington.
The news of the additional cases came hours after Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced that mosquito control activities have reduced the size of the area where Zika transmission is ongoing in Florida. The Obama administration said Thursday it would shift $81 million from biomedical research and antipoverty programs to pay for development of a Zika vaccine.
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Home-grown Zika cases didn’t begin showing up until July 29, when the first four were confirmed – the first mosquito-to-human transmissions known to have occurred in the United States.
