Second pregnant woman diagnosed with Zika in Australia

Stressing that there is no danger to the public, OR health officials say a woman in OR has been diagnosed with a travel-associated Zika-virus infection.

Forty-million Americans travel from the U.S.to Zika-affected areas every year, officials say.

From Monday to yesterday, 50,000 soldiers accompanied by municipal health workers will spray homes with insecticides and larvicides to kill the Aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits not only Zika virus, but also dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever, Rebelo said. About 20 percent of those infected display mild symptoms, including body aches and rash.

She went on: “I do want to assure you all that Zika virus poses no public health risk to others in the community as it is not transmitted person-to-person”.

Earlier in February, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said an worldwide co-ordinated response was needed, although restrictions on travel or trade were not necessary.

Researchers have identified evidence of Zika infection in 17 of these cases, either in the baby or in the mother, but have not confirmed that the virus can cause microcephaly.

Last month, officials said a baby born in a Hawaii hospital was the first in the country with a birth defect linked to Zika.

“There’s virtually no risk of contracting the Zika virus in New York City at this point, but we’re very concerned about the onset of the mosquito season at the beginning of April”, he told reporters.

The total number of Floridians infected by the mosquito-borne virus now stands at 18.

None of the cases were contracted in the state, and none involve pregnant women.

The state health department said it is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to continue to monitor new developments in the virus.

The U.S. Olympic Committee is hiring two infectious disease specialists to counsel any Olympians who might have concerns about the Zika outbreak in Brazil.

The CDC has recommended that visitors to Zika-affected areas take common-sense precautions to avoid mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeved shirts and trousers, staying in air-conditioned facilities and using insect repellent.