Pregnant women who visited places linked with the virus, particularly those who show symptoms of the infection, should be screened and tested, the CDC said.
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And the while no cases have been contracted in Florida, officials are still warning everyone to be cautious of the disease, which may be linked to babies born with small, undeveloped brains in Brazil.
A baby was born with the birth defect in Hawaii, but the mother had lived in Brazil.
Testing will be done by state health departments or CDC. Neither the baby nor the mother are infectious, and there was never a risk of transmission in Hawaii.
Just 200 days before the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games is due to begin in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian officials on Monday downplayed risks for foreign visitors from the Zika virus. The new guidelines released Tuesday by the CDC recommend pregnant women postpone travel to any of the 14 countries and territories in Central and South America and the Caribbean where transmission of the vector-borne disease is now active.
It’s possible that the first case of Zika-related microcephaly has already happened in the United States.
The Zika virus is similar to the dengue virus in its mosquito-borne nature. Outbreaks of Zika have occurred in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands.
There was an unprecedented spike in reported Zika cases in 2015, with the virus spreading to a host of South American countries that include Brazil, host of upcoming Carnival celebrations and the Summer Olympic Games later this year. Those who must travel that are pregnant, or attempting to become pregnant, should consult their doctor or other health care provider for steps on avoiding mosquito bites and strictly follow their advice.
Distribution Map of Zika virus.
Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, French Guiana, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Paraguay, St. Martin, Suriname and Venezuela have reported Zika cases.
There is no vaccine to prevent or medication to treat Zika, and most often, those infected do not require hospitalization. We are sending samples to CARPHA and so far none of the samples we have sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency have come back positive for Zika Virus Disease.
Illness resulting from Zika usually is mild but there are concerns of the virus potentially leading to severe birth defects.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of the Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes.
