On Monday, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency about the virus. Pregnant women or those who think they are pregnant are advised by the CDC not to travel to countries that are experiencing an outbreak of the disease.
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Miami-Dade in south Florida, Hillsborough in Tampa Bay, Lee County in southwest Florida and Santa Rosa County in Florida Panhandle have all been affected under the executive order.
The governor of Florida has declared a health emergency in four counties there, after at least nine cases of the mosquito-borne illness were detected.
Mexico is one of 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries and territories with a Zika-related travel alert from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prompting some expectant couples to steer clear of the region.
“There are many things we don’t know about Zika”, he said.
The first known case of Zika virus transmission in the USA was reported in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday by local health officials, who said it was likely to have been contracted through sex and not a mosquito bite.
Testing was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the most recent case, one individual developed symptoms after visiting Venezuela and, although their sexual partner hadn’t been to the area, they also tested positive, NBC DFW reported.
The emergency order authorizes the state’s agriculture department to take action to combat the problem, such as spraying against mosquitoes. “We have seen cases or isolated cases of Zika spread by sexual transmission”.
The Zika virus has been making headlines around the world after the virus was linked to clusters of babies born in Brazil were born with microcephaly. The most common symptoms are joint pain, fever and rash. Illness typically resolves within a week.
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The patient, who lives in the Dallas area, was infected after having sexual contact with a person who recently returned from a country where Zika is present.
