Brazilian soldiers prepare for an operation to fight the Aedes aegypti mosquito, vector of the Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses, in Sao Paulo, Brazil on February 3.
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None of the Florida cases involves pregnant women, who are considered to be at greatest risk because of a suspected link between Zika virus and microcephaly, a birth defect.
Two U.S. women suffered miscarriages after being infected with the Zika virus, according to officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than 200,000 troops will hand out leaflets to educate people on how best to protect themselves against the disease.
The finding suggests that the mosquito-spread virus may unexpectedly hang around in the body for much longer than symptoms appear, which typically only last for about a week.
On Tuesday, Stat reported that the virus had been discovered in the placentas of both women, adding evidence to the theory that Zika can be passed from mother to fetus during pregnancy.
Zika is suspected to be linked to birth defects. “We don’t know completely what range will be covered across the Americas, and we’re not certain about the efficacy of control methods of mosquitos or of personal protection”, Dye said.
“What makes it nerve-wracking right now, we’re saying this is probably unsafe for pregnant women but there’s not enough information and long-term data to see what the consequences are”, said Sara West, Marquette University nursing major. It is a disease where babies are born with smaller brains than normal. The US has reported a case of apparent sexual transmission in a Texas resident.
But it added, “Women who are pregnant should discuss their travel plans with their healthcare provider and consider delaying travel to any area where locally acquired Zika infection is occurring”.
Castro said the two institutions would work to speed up initial research and a vaccine might be ready for a two-year test in 12 months. “There is no vaccine available for Zika virus so it’s important for Ohioans traveling to affected areas to take steps to prevent mosquito bites”.
Planning to vacation in Latin and South America and the Caribbean, some travelers went back to their travel agencies to change their vacation arrangements.
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Many infected people show no physical symptoms, so check with your doctor before and after a trip educators say. More tests and studies still have to be carried out to come up with a conclusive result.
