Health officials clear part of Miami Beach Zika zone

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) today removed another Miami transmission area from its Zika travel advisory, and officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) spelled out key research priorities as it transitions efforts from a public health emergency to its regular work. All had laboratory evidence of congenital Zika virus infection but they had only slightly smaller than normal head size at birth. Other structural or functional abnormalities were also observed in some of the patients.

More seriously, however, is the effect the virus can have on unborn babies of infected mothers. They focused on 13 in particular.

Some of the funding previously given to the county to help combat the Ebola virus was used for activities regarding Zika, in addition to a $65,000 grant for the Zika virus, Mead said. The decision derived from experts finally confirming a direct link between microcephaly and the Zika virus.

The researchers said they did not know the mechanism of the postnatal microcephaly. “This report documents that microcephaly at birth is not an essential hallmark of congenital Zika syndrome”.

Salama said based on now available information it appears that most women infected during pregnancy will not give birth to a baby with Zika-induced microcephaly – a condition in which a baby’s head is smaller than normal.

The CDC emphasized the importance of its previous recommendations calling for all infants whose mothers were infected with Zika during pregnancy to have a comprehensive physical exam, neurologic assessment, postnatal cranial ultrasound, standard hearing screen and Zika testing. As the approached their first birthdays, numerous babies also had some of the other developmental and medical problems caused by Zika infection, a range of disabilities now being called congenital Zika syndrome.

During the summer, mosquitoes started to spread the Zika virus in Florida.

The spread of Zika has also caused a sharp increase in abortion demand in many affected countries, according to a study published in July in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Emergency Committee managing the Zika crisis worldwide has announced that the emergency status on the disease has been lifted, but the virus spreading still constitutes a threat that needs to be addressed in the most sustained of ways. That area was cleared in September.

The North Miami Beach-designated area is no longer considered to be an area of active Zika virus transmission (red area). This means that we still advise pregnant women not to travel to the red zone in South Miami Beach.

More than 4,000 US travelers have been infected overseas before returning to the 50 states or D.C.

Scott believed a vaccine offers the cure for Zika. The degree of fetal risk when a pregnant woman has been infected is still unknown.