Florida Governor Declares State of Emergency Over Zika Virus

“And then in some cases, we’re asking if they are pregnant, or if they could be pregnant by the time they travel, because then obviously, that alters what we’re going to recommend for them”, said Jenny Cagle of Elm Grove Travel. Both people involved are females in their 20s who recently traveled to Zika-affect countries.

The virus, which may be connected to thousands of birth defects in the Americas, is primarily spread through mosquito bites, but investigators had been exploring the possibility it could be sexually transmitted.

The US state of Florida has declared a health emergency over spread of the Zika virus in the United States.

South Florida experienced an unusually wet winter this year, leading to concerns about a proliferation of mosquitoes just as the Zika virus was introduced to the area.

The head of the Pan American Health Organization Carissa Etienne has also said more resources are needed quickly if the region is to fight the Zika outbreak. However, the link between Zika and microcephaly is as yet unproven.

Dr. Marcelo Addas Carvalho, director of the blood center at the University of Campinas, said genetic testing confirmed that a man who received a blood transfusion from a Zika-infected man in March 2015 became infected with the virus, although he did not develop symptoms.

One was a man and the other was an older woman who was not pregnant.

Doyle Kennon, a manager at Coopertown Airboats a few miles into the Everglades from Miami, said tourists and employees have asked about the Zika threat all week. Scott says they are taking proactive steps to get ahead of the virus.

“It’s not spread through that route, as we understand it presently”, Levin said.

Zika symptoms resemble those of a mild case of flu – headache, muscle and joint pain, mild fever, and a rash. Tthey’re mainly found in the warm, southernmost parts of the United States, where mosquito control efforts have curbed outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya.

The most recent cases bring the total for the year to 10 confirmed cases and one probable case.

So far, county mosquito control officials say their Zika response has followed protocols for other Aedes aegypti-related outbreaks: Tipping and tossing anything holding even small amounts of water, since the mosquitoes live largely inside homes and can lay eggs in a bottle-cap or shallow puddles.