At this time, DOH is investigating nine areas in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties where local transmissions of Zika may have occurred (eight locations in Miami-Dade and one in Palm Beach).
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The Dengue fever virus is in the same family of viruses as the Zika virus and spread by the same mosquito, although it causes different symptoms and is not sexually transmitted.
“It’s probably not a huge story, given that on any particular day there may be many people from Zika-endemic areas of Central America coming into El Paso”, said Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine.
The news will likely have an impact of Miami Beach’s tourism industry. Earlier this week, Texas reported a case of Zika that was contracted in Miami.
There are 24 confirmed travel-related Zika virus cases in Arizona, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. But the El Paso man, who has not been identified, appears to be the first travel-related case within the continental United States. Zika is known to cause birth defects.
A spokeswoman for Florida’s health department, Mara Gambineri, said the department believes active transmissions are still only occurring in a small area in the Wynwood area of Miami but acknowledged two new Zika cases outside that area.
The number of confirmed Zika virus cases in Florida stands at 557.
The CDC recommends that anyone traveling to affected areas use insect repellent for three weeks after travel to help prevent any mosquito bites. Unlike other jurisdictions, our Vector Control team has been controlling our mosquito population for decades.
The Snohomish Health District is working closely with her health care provider to ensure that she follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.
Serious complications are extremely rare for the patient, but Zika has been linked to abnormal brain development in the baby when it infects a pregnant woman.
Aedes aegypti mosquitos are seen in a lab at the Fiocruz institute on January 26, 2016 in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil.
Glen Ridge has issued a warning for residents who may be traveling to Florida, especially to the Miami area, due to the presence of the Zika virus.
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Since Zika became a significant public health risk in Miami-Dade County on July 29, some surrounding businesses – like Wynwood Yard – closed for safety reasons.
