While pregnant women are being advised to postpone non-essential travel to disease hotspots, the NHS stressed that for “most people it is a very mild infection and isn’t harmful”.
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American health officials have said they don’t expect widespread outbreaks, such as those that have occurred in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. Initial symptoms include fever, rash and joint pain, but there are concerns for pregnant women infected with Zika and passing it onto their unborn children. The mosquito may be resistant to the insecticides being used or may be able to hide in standing water. “We join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in urging pregnant women to avoid travel to areas with known Zika transmission”. In a statement issued Thursday, the agency said the two infants with Zika-related microcephaly had been born to women who had Zika virus infections during pregnancy “after spending time in a country where the virus is endemic”.
Florida has recently reported several locally transmitted cases.
A new Zika infection has been reported in the ongoing outbreak in northern Miami. Smith could not confirm whether or not the latter mother contracted Zika in her country, but said that she was from a country where mosquitoes were transmitting the virus.
It got worse this week: On Monday, 10 more cases in Florida linked to mosquito transmissions were confirmed.
Earlier this week, Frieden told reporters he was concerned that boots-on-the-ground mosquito control had not been as effective as expected-possibly because of insecticide resistance.
Governor Bentley approved the use of emergency funds up to $250,000 to assist in mosquito control efforts, after the Alabama Department of Public Health requested assistance with Zika mitigation funding.
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Frieden cautioned that the mosquitoes that carry Zika also live indoors, where aerial spraying can’t reach them. The virus can be passed via mosquitos, sex, and possibly through tainted blood transfusions, although this has not yet been confirmed by the CDC.
