2 more Floridians infected by Zika virus

Zika virus, which is spread by infected mosquitos, has been appearing around the continental United States, mostly in travelers who have visited a Zika-affected area.

At least two American women who contracted the Zika virus while traveling overseas miscarried when they arrived home, according to a top official at the Centers for Disease Control.

Most people who contract the virus have either mild or no symptoms, but it is considered to be unsafe to pregnant women because it is suspected of causing a birth defect called microcephaly that results in babies being born with abnormally small heads.

Brazil, which is grappling with cases of Microcephaly, and Colombia are the countries most affected by the mosquito-borne disease in the Americas.

The Zika virus was first discovered in Africa in 1947.

At this time there is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat the virus. It was probably introduced when a traveler came from French Polynesia to South America with the illness and was bitten by a mosquito.

“The AFP takes the safety and continued wellbeing of its members very seriously and routine medical testing for viruses such as Malaria, Dengue Fever and Zika has been available for a number of years”, the spokeswoman said. “Zika virus infection is actually similar to the other tropical infections dengue which is also transmitted by mosquitoes”.

UNMH Pediatric infectious disease doctor Martha Muller says there’s a lot we don’t understand about Zika.

Maryland delivered 17 Zika test kits to the CDC for analysis and so far one has been returned positive and two have been returned negative.

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — U.S. women’s national team goalkeeper Hope Solo asserted that if the Olympics were held today, she would not go out of concern about the Zika virus.

Rio organizers and International Olympic Committee officials have tried to downplay the threat, saying only women who are pregnant are at high risk of complications. But there have been miscarriages reported in Brazil, the epicenter of a Zika epidemic that now spans almost three dozen countries.