Brazil confirms Zika infection from a blood transfusion

Travis County health officials on Thursday confirmed the first case of the Zika virus in the county. Florida Governor Rick Scott expanded a public health emergency over the Zika virus yesterday, adding a fifth county to the list of areas in the state with travel-related cases.

The CDC said yesterday that they have confirmed one case of the virus being transmitted sexually in the U.S. In that instance, someone who had recently traveled to Venezuela spread the virus to another person in the Dallas area. While public health experts said it’s very unlikely the Zika virus will establish itself in Los Angeles County, they want everyone to do what they can to reduce the mosquito population.

Three people in the District of Columbia, including a pregnant woman, have contracted the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

With origins linked to Brazil, the Zika virus made its way to the USA after travelers got infected and returned to the states.

Zika does not cause serious complications in adults, but it can lead to severe brain defects in newborns.

Zika, which is spread primarily by mosquitoes, has spread to 26 countries in North and South America, as well as parts of the Caribbean.

There has been one case of Zika reported in L.A. And given our pathways to Latin America, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if there are more.

The infection presents no risk for tourist activity, Alberto Diaz, a senior official from the health ministry, told tour operators during a meeting in Cancun, however conceding it was “inevitable” the virus would spread.

The non-pregnant individual traveled to Colombia between the end of December and the first of January, and has made a full recovery.

“Putting together our expertise, our knowledge, our infrastructure, our knowledge and technology together to understand the basic biologies of this virus, to understand the pathogens of this virus to find possible drug candidates and vaccine candidates”, Saeed said.

“As a result of this expanded testing being offered in NY, more women and their clinicians will have better information to make the right healthcare decisions at the cutting edge of laboratory science”, state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement.