NY expands free Zika virus testing for pregnant women

The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department Thursday confirmed to WFAA’s sister station in Austin, KVUE, that a man in Travis County has been diagnosed with the Zika virus.

She was among seven cases of Zika in Spain, said health officials. Health officials say one case in Texas was spread by sexual contact.

Mr Scott told a news conference in Tampa that the 12 cases in Florida are all from people who became infected with the mosquito-borne virus when they travelled to other countries. But since eighty percent of people with the virus have no symptoms, self-reporting misses most infections. The baby’s mother was diagnosed with having the Zika virus during her pregnancy.

The state’s Wadsworth Center in Albany is already testing symptomatic New Yorkers who have recently traveled to affected areas, but made a decision to expand testing because of concerns about birth defects associated with Zika virus.

“Today I am directing Surgeon General Dr. John Armstrong to declare a public health emergency in the four counties that have individuals with the Zika virus”.

Rick Scott isn’t taking any chances with the Zika virus.

Brazil said it was sending more than 500,000 personnel out to clean up mosquito breeding grounds and advise people about the disease.

While the virus hasn’t caused any deaths, investigators are researching the link between Zika and babies who’ve been born with microcephaly-a defect in which the baby’s head is smaller than expected. “The person later tested positive for Zika, along with their sexual partner, who had not traveled to the area”. Now Zika is spreading fast across Latin America, and as well as the USA cases have been reported this week in Australia and Ireland.

The virus – spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito which also transmits yellow fever – has led to several South American countries warning women not to get pregnant.

The fever starts with a mosquito bite and normally causes little more than a fever and rash.