“The department still believes active transmissions are only taking place within the identified area that is less than one-square mile in Miami-Dade County”, the health department said.
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It also allows Puerto Rico to temporarily reassign public health workers funded through Public Health Service Act programs to assist in the Zika response.
There have been no reported cases of the Zika virus transmitted by mosquitoes in Texas, but Texas is on alert for the possibility local transmission.
Puerto Rico reported the first microcephaly case acquired on US soil in May, involving a dead fetus that a woman turned over to health authorities.
This post has been seen 5 times. People are the ones who bring the virus to local mosquitoes-the insect will bite an infected person and then bite another individual.
According to a prepared statement from the Grant County Health District, the man was “likely” exposed to Zika during his trip to Mexico, as the country has been known to have mosquitoes that are infected with the virus.
Zika has been tied to a severe birth defect known as microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and under-developed brains. But with a little more funding and some organization, it’s possible that Puerto Rico can start to keep new infections down and pregnant women safe.
The new survey was conducted three days after the first 15 non-travel-related cases of Zika were reported in the Miami area.
Research on a potential vaccine for the Zika virus entered early clinical trials last week to assess its safety in humans.
The US territory of Puerto Rico can now ask for more federal funds to train staff to combat the spread of the virus.
Many people infected with the virus won’t have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. Senate cut that request to $1.1 billion, but House Republicans adjourned for the summer without appropriating a penny.
Meanwhile, UTMB researchers have reported that a drug to treat Zika virus infections could already exist and be available on the market.
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Both said it doesn’t matter what government agencies do to fight Zika if society doesn’t take preventive measures. Still, some polls suggest, like a recent Washington Post-ABC News one, that Americans are not incredibly concerned about the virus.”I’m sorry that people feel that way, but it is a problem”, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a recent press conference.
