#12,818
Although Zika virus transmission this summer hasn't turned out to be as big of a story as it was in 2016, Florida continues to see infected travelers arrive - and with the presence of competent mosquito vectors - the potential for local transmission is always there.
This statement today from the Florida Department of Health, on what is the first reported locally acquired infection of the year.
October 12, 2017
Contact:
Communications Office NewsMedia@flhealth.gov
(850) 245-4111
Tallahassee, Fla. — Today the Florida Department of Health is announcing that a locally transmitted case of Zika has been confirmed in Manatee County. There is no evidence of ongoing, active transmission of Zika. According to CDC guidance, this isolated case does not constitute a Zika zone.
According to established protocol, the department notified mosquito control of the suspected case and appropriate mosquito reduction activities have occurred and will continue. If the department identifies an area where ongoing, active transmission of Zika is taking place, we will notify the public immediately.The department reminds residents and health care providers to consider a Zika test if symptoms are consistent with the virus.It is important to remember Zika can also be transmitted sexually and to take precautions if you or your partner traveled to an area where Zika is active.Background on the single case of local transmission:
A couple traveled to Cuba. One partner was ill with symptoms consistent with Zika shortly after travel. Based on the details revealed through a thorough investigation, evidence suggests one partner acquired Zika while in Cuba, was bitten by a mosquito in or around their home, and that mosquito then bit and transmitted Zika to the other partner.
The partner that acquired Zika in Cuba was not tested for Zika while they had symptoms. A test conducted this week showed evidence of a past Zika infection linking that infection to the partner who was recently symptomatic and tested positive.
Note, these categories are not mutually exclusive and cannot be added together.It is critical for people who recently traveled overseas to an area with Zika to prevent mosquito bites for at least three weeks after they return home. It is also important to reduce the chance of sexual transmission by using condoms. CDC has issued additional guidance related to sexual transmission and prevention.Before you travel, check to see if your destination is on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list of areas with Zika.If you traveled to an area with Zika, you could have become infected and not know it, and you could spread the virus in your community if you do not take proper precautions to prevent mosquito bites or sexual transmission after you return home. Zika can persist in semen over extended periods of time. Pregnant couples with recent travel to areas with active Zika transmission should consider using condoms for the duration of the pregnancy.
According to CDC guidance, providers should screen all pregnant women in the US for possible Zika exposure and symptoms at each prenatal care visit. Additional CDC guidance on screening and testing can be found here. At Governor Scott’s direction, all county health departments offer free Zika risk assessment and testing to pregnant women.The department urges Floridians to take action around their home and business to reduce the mosquito population. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as one teaspoon of water so it is critical to drain all sources of standing water to keep mosquitoes from multiplying. Residents and visitors should also use mosquito repellent day and night to prevent mosquito bites.The department updates the full list of travel-related cases by county online each weekday. To view the list of travel-related cases by county and year, click here.For more information on Zika virus and the status of Zika in Florida, please visit www.zikafreefl.org
