Governor: 4 Zika cases likely came from Florida mosquitoes

Officials say doctors should ask pregnant women about their travel and certain symptoms, and, if warranted, test them for an infection with the Zika virus.

Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam ordered more aggressive mosquito spraying within 200 yards of the four patients’ homes for 45 days in a declaration Friday.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio says the announcement that South Florida has four cases of mosquito-transmitted Zika virus isn’t just a public health crisis but an economic one as well for the tourist-dependent state.

“We have a very sophisticated, mature, control, surveillance and response program throughout the local governments”, said Adam Putnam, the state’s commissioner of agriculture, adding that the presence of screens, air conditioning, and higher standards of living in the USA make it unlikely that the virus will spread as it has in other countries.

The virus has triggered alarm across the warmer latitudes of the Western Hemisphere.

As we know, the virus brings on mild illness in most individuals, but contracting Zika during pregnancy can cause brain damage and neurological disorders in infants.

The state’s first travel-related case of Zika virus was identified in February.

“This is not just a Florida issue”. “What we have been doing is going out to the hotels and talking to the maintenance staff and educating them what to look for, because going out and mowing the grass and just keeping the place clean isn’t the same as looking for standing water”, said Terry Torrens, the county’s mosquito control director.

Jacob’s jurisdiction covers the Orlando area’s major theme parks in the Orlando area, and she spoke to reporters Friday after Gov. Rick Scott announced that South Florida has the first four cases of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes in the USA mainland. USA health officials had warned that there would be local transmission of the virus from mosquitoes but don’t expect it to be widespread, as has been seen in Puerto Rico and throughout the Americas.

In Miami-Dade and Broward counties health workers are investigating mysterious cases of Zika infection that may be the first spread by mosquitoes on the US mainland.

Health Secretary Ana Rius said 74 people have been hospitalized including 23 diagnosed with a temporary paralysis condition known as Guillain-Barre that has been linked to Zika.

This week, the Food and Drug Administration advised blood donation centers in those two counties to temporarily cease receiving donations until donations could be screened for infection.

Zika primarily spreads through bites from tropical mosquitoes.

The state has confirmed 386 cases of Zika related to travel, in addition to those that likely were contracted in Florida.

The cycle of infection inside a country can start when a mosquito bites a traveler who has returned home from overseas with the virus still lurking in his or her bloodstream.

Frieden called this unprecedented, saying, “never before in history has there been a situation when a bite from a mosquito can result in such a devastating scenario”.

Florida had more than 106 million visitors past year, and tourism-related employment accounts for around 1.2 million jobs, making it the state’s biggest industry.

There have been no mosquito-transmitted cases in central Florida yet.

“Floridians can do their part by draining standing water surrounding their homes, as it can serve as breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that are capable of transmitting the virus”, Putnam said in a statement.

Scott has allocated $26.2 million in emergency funding toward Zika virus prevention and control.

“I’m freaking out. but at the same time I don’t want to freak out”, said Wynwood resident Zoe Schultze as she cradled her 6-month-old son in her arms while she stopped for coffee with her husband. “That really does concern me”. “You can’t not go outside”.

Health officials believe the virus was acquired in a one-mile area of Miami, though no mosquitoes the department has trapped have tested positive for Zika yet, according to a press release.

“Believe it or not, it’s hard to find positive mosquitoes even when you’re in the middle of an epidemic”, Connelly said.

The exact risk that an infected woman will have an affected baby remains unknown, but some studies have shown that it is between 1% and 13%.

She says it’s also hard to determine where someone was infected, whether it was at home, at work or somewhere else.