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March 18, 2016 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DAILY ZIKA UPDATE: ONE NEW CASE IN BROWARD COUNTY Contact:Communications [email protected](850) 245-4111 Tallahassee, Fla.—In an effort to keep Florida residents and visitors safe and aware about the status of the Zika virus, the Florida Department of Health will issue a Zika virus update each week day at 2 p.m. Updates will include a CDC-confirmed Zika case count by county and information to better keep Floridians prepared. There is one new case in Broward County. Of the cases confirmed in Florida, seven cases are still exhibiting symptoms. According to the CDC, symptoms associated with the Zika virus last between seven to 10 days. Based on CDC guidance, several pregnant women who have traveled to countries with local-transmission of Zika have received antibody testing, and of those, four have tested positive for the Zika virus. The CDC recommends that a pregnant woman with a history of Zika virus and her provider should consider additional ultrasounds. It is recommended that women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant postpone travel to Zika affected areas. County Number of Cases (all travel related) Alachua 4 Brevard 2 Broward 9 Hillsborough 3 Lee 3 Miami-Dade 30 Orange 4 Osceola 3 Polk 2 Santa Rosa 1 Seminole 1 St. Johns 1 Cases involving pregnant women* 4 Total 67 *Counties of pregnant women will not be shared. Yesterday, at the request of Governor Rick Scott, the CDC hosted a second conference call with Florida health care workers - including OBGYNS, doctors and those who work with pregnant women - on the CDC’s most recent update and guidance regarding Zika. On Feb. 12, Governor Scott directed the State Surgeon General to activate a Zika Virus Information Hotline for current Florida residents and visitors, as well as anyone planning on traveling to Florida in the near future. The hotline, managed by the Department of Health, has assisted 1,095 callers since it launched. The number for the Zika Virus Information Hotline is 1-855-622-6735. All cases are travel-associated. There have been no locally-acquired cases of Zika in Florida. For more information on the Zika virus, click here. The department urges Floridians to drain standing water weekly, no matter how seemingly small. A couple drops of water in a bottle cap can be a breeding location for mosquitoes. Residents and visitors also need to use repellents when enjoying the Florida outdoors. More Information on DOH action on Zika: On Feb. 3, Governor Scott directed the State Surgeon General to issue a Declaration of Public Health Emergency for the counties of residents with travel-associated cases of Zika.The Declaration currently includes the 12 affected counties – Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Santa Rosa, Seminole and St. Johns – and will be updated as needed. DOH encourages Florida residents and visitors to protect themselves from all mosquito-borne illnesses by draining standing water; covering their skin with repellent and clothing; and covering windows with screens.DOH has a robust mosquito-borne illness surveillance system and is working with the CDC, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and local county mosquito control boards to ensure that the proper precautions are being taken to protect Florida residents and visitors.Florida currently has the capacity to test 4,247 people for active Zika virus and 1,798 for Zika antibodies.Federal Guidance on Zika: According to the CDC, Zika illness is generally mild with a rash, fever and joint pain. CDC researchers are examining a possible link between the virus and harm to unborn babies exposed during pregnancy.The FDA released guidance regarding donor screening, deferral and product management to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmission of Zika virus. Additional information is available on the FDA website here.The CDC has put out guidance related to the sexual transmission of the Zika virus. This includes the CDC recommendation that if you have traveled to a country with local transmission of Zika you should abstain from unprotected sex.For more information on Zika virus, click here. About the Florida Department of Health The department works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts. Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health, please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2016/03/031816-zika-update.html County Number of Cases (all travel related) Alachua 4 Brevard 2 Broward 9 Hillsborough 3 Lee 3 Miami-Dade 30 Orange 4 Osceola 3 Polk 2 Santa Rosa 1 Seminole 1 St. Johns 1 Cases involving pregnant women* 4 Total 67

CDC investigating 13 more possible Zika cases in pregnant women Liz Szabo, USA TODAY12:44 p.m. EDT March 18, 2016(Photo: Felipe Dana, AP) 4CONNECTTWEETLINKEDIN 1COMMENTEMAILMOREThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting nine additional Zika infections in pregnant women. Eighteen cases of Zika have been diagnosed in pregnant U.S. women, up from the nine that the CDC has previously reported in detail. Eight of the 18 women are still pregnant, while 10 have either delivered their babies or had abortions or miscarriages, according to the CDC. All of the women had traveled to an area with a Zika outbreak, according to the CDC. Zika virus is not yet spreading in the continental USA. At least 258 U.S. travelers have been infected with Zika while visiting the Caribbean or South America. Zika is spreading widely in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, which are reporting three travel-related cases and 283 cases spread by local mosquitoes, including 35 in pregnant women. Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. USA TODAY CDC: 9 pregnant U.S. travelers infected with Zika The CDC has started a pregnancy registry to learn more about Zika-affected cases. The CDC has reported details for the first nine of the pregnancies: one woman gave birth to a baby with microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development; two miscarried; two had abortions; two gave birth to healthy babies and two are still pregnant. The number of Zika-affected countries with microcephaly cases is growing. Doctors have diagnosed microcephaly in Cape Verde, an island off the coast of Africa that has been battling a Zika virus epidemic. Researchers are investigating the case to see if it's related to Cape Verde's Zika infection, according to the World Health Organization. Brazil, which normally had about 150 cases of microcephaly a year, has confirmed 863 cases of the condition in recent months, said Anthony Fauci, director of theNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,268 suspected cases of microcephaly. A handful of cases of microcephaly also have been diagnosed in Colombia, which also has a large Zika outbreak, he said. There have been 7,490 suspected cases of Zika virus in Cape Verde between Oct. 21 and March 6, according to the WHO. About 165 of the cases involve pregnant women; 44 of these women have delivered without any complications or abnormalities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting nine additional Zika infections in pregnant women. Eighteen cases of Zika have been diagnosed in pregnant U.S. women, up from the nine that the CDC has previously reported in detail. Eight of the 18 women are still pregnant, while 10 have either delivered their babies or had abortions or miscarriages, according to the CDC. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/18/zika-related-birth-defect-diagnosed-cape-verde-off-african-coast/81966532/

ReferencesHayes EB. Zika virus outside Africa. Emerg Infect Dis 2009;15:1347–50 . CrossRef PubMedDuffy MR, Chen TH, Hancock WT, et al. Zika virus outbreak on Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia. N Engl J Med 2009;360:2536–43 . CrossRefPubMedEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Zika virus disease epidemic: potential association with microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Stockholm, Sweden: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; 2016. http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/zika-virus-rapid-risk-assessment-9-march-2016.pdfHills SL, Russell K, Hennessey M, et al. Transmission of Zika virus through sexual contact with travelers to areas of ongoing transmission—continental United States, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:215–6 . CrossRef PubMedMeaney-Delman D, Hills SL, Williams C, et al. Zika virus infection among US pregnant travelers—August 2015–February 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:211–4 . CrossRef PubMedCao-Lormeau VM, Blake A, Mons S, et al. Guillain-Barré syndrome outbreak associated with Zika virus infection in French Polynesia: a case-control study. Lancet. Epub, March 2, 2016. CrossRef PubMedOduyebo T, Petersen EE, Rasmussen SA, et al. Update: interim guidelines for health care providers caring for pregnant women and women of reproductive age with possible Zika virus exposure—United States, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:122–7 . CrossRef PubMedUS Food and Drug Administration. Recommendations for donor screening, deferral, and product management to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmission of Zika virus. Washington, DC: US Food and Drug Administration; 2016.http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/Blood/UCM486360.pdfCouncil of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. Zika virus disease and congenital Zika virus infection interim case definition and addition to the Nationally Notifiable Disease List. Atlanta, GA: Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists; 2016.https://www.cste2.org/docs/Zika_Virus_Disease_and_Congenital_Zika_Virus_Infection_Interim.pdfFleming-Dutra KE, Nelson JM, Fischer M, et al. Update: interim guidelines for health care providers caring for infants and children with possible Zika virus infection—United States, February 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:182–7 . CrossRef PubMed

TABLE 2. Clinical signs and symptoms reported by 115 residents of U.S. states and the District of Columbia with laboratory evidence of Zika virus disease — January 1, 2015–February 26, 2016* Yes†NoUnknownSign/symptomNo. (%)No. (%)No. (%)Rash113 (98)1 (1)1 (1)Fever94 (82)20 (17)1 (1)Arthralgia76 (66)33 (29)6 (5)Headache65 (57)37 (32)13 (11)Myalgia63 (55)38 (33)14 (12)Conjunctivitis43 (37)53 (46)19 (17)Diarrhea22 (19)63 (55)30 (26)Vomiting6 (5)79 (69)30 (26)* Testing performed at CDC’s Arboviral Diseases Branch laboratory. † Some patients had more than one sign and/or symptom.

FIGURE. Month of illness onset for 115 patients with laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection among residents of U.S. states and the District of Columbia — January 1, 2015–February 26, 2016*

TABLE 1. Characteristics of 115 residents of U.S. states and the District of Columbia with laboratory evidence of Zika virus disease — January 1, 2015–February 26, 2016*,†CharacteristicNo. (%)Female75 (65)Age group (yrs)<104 (3)10–1910 (9)20–2923 (20)30–3922 (19)40–4919 (17)50–5923 (20)60–6913 (11)≥701 (1)Region visitedCentral America42 (37)Caribbean38 (33)South America21 (18)Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands7 (6)North America (Mexico)2 (2)No travel§5 (4)Hospitalized4 (3)Died0 (0)* Testing performed at CDC’s Arboviral Diseases Branch laboratory. † Excludes one infant born with severe congenital microcephaly after maternal infection in Brazil during the first trimester of pregnancy. § Sexual contacts of travelers.

DiscussionBefore 2015, Zika virus disease among U.S. travelers was uncommon. This likely was because of low levels of Zika virus transmission in travel destinations and limited disease recognition in the United States. Local mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus has not been documented in U.S. states. With the recent outbreaks in the Americas, the number of Zika virus disease cases among travelers visiting or returning to the United States has increased and will likely continue to increase. These imported cases might result in local human-to-mosquito-to-human transmission of the virus in U.S. states that have the appropriate mosquito vectors. This report increases the number of laboratory-confirmed sexually transmitted Zika virus disease cases reported in the United States; two cases included here were previously reported as probable cases and were confirmed through additional testing (4). Sexually transmitted cases will be increasingly recognized among contacts of returning travelers and there is risk for congenital, perinatal, or transfusion-associated transmission. CDC has issued guidelines to reduce the risk for travel-associated infections, especially among pregnant women and sexual contacts of travelers (4,7). Temporary deferral of blood donors with recent travel to Zika-affected areas also has been recommended to reduce the risk for transfusion-associated transmission (8). The cases presented in this report have clinical findings similar to those of Zika virus disease cases previously reported from other countries. Most had fever and rash; however, rates of conjunctivitis are lower than those seen in previous outbreaks (2). The majority (95%) of cases occurred in travelers to areas with ongoing mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission. This evaluation was limited to cases with testing performed at CDC through February 26, 2016. Zika virus RT-PCR and anti-Zika IgM antibody testing is now available at an increasing number of state, territorial, and local health departments, and additional cases have been diagnosed and reported from state and territorial health departments beyond those included in this report (http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/united-states.html). On February 26, 2016, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) approved interim case definitions for Zika virus disease and Zika virus congenital infection and added them to the list of nationally notifiable conditions (9). Subsequent reports of Zika virus disease cases will include cases reported to ArboNET, the national arboviral surveillance system, using the interim CSTE case definitions. Health care providers should educate patients about the risks for Zika virus disease and measures to prevent Zika virus infection and other mosquito-borne infections. Zika virus disease should be considered in patients with acute onset of fever, rash, arthralgia, or conjunctivitis who traveled to areas with ongoing transmission or had unprotected sex with someone who traveled to those areas and developed compatible symptoms within 2 weeks of returning. Until more is known about the effects of Zika virus infection on the developing fetus, pregnant women should postpone travel to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Pregnant women who do travel to one of these areas should talk to their health care provider before traveling and strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites (http://www.cdc.gov/features/stopmosquitoes/) during travel. Pregnant women who develop a clinically compatible illness during or within 2 weeks of returning from an area with Zika virus transmission should be tested for Zika virus infection; testing may also be offered to asymptomatic pregnant women 2–12 weeks after travel to an area with active Zika transmission (7). Fetuses and infants of women infected with Zika virus during pregnancy should be evaluated for possible congenital infection (10). CDC has established a registry to collect information on Zika virus infection during pregnancy and congenital infection. Health care providers are encouraged to report suspected Zika virus disease cases to their state or local health departments to facilitate diagnosis and mitigate the risk for local transmission in areas where Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are currently active. State health departments should report laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus disease to CDC (8). Top AcknowledgmentsState and local health departments.

Zika virus is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus. Recent outbreaks of Zika virus disease in the Pacific Islands and the Region of the Americas have identified new modes of transmission and clinical manifestations, including adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, data on the epidemiology and clinical findings of laboratory-confirmed Zika virus disease remain limited. During January 1, 2015–February 26, 2016, a total of 116 residents of 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia had laboratory evidence of recent Zika virus infection based on testing performed at CDC. Cases include one congenital infection and 115 persons who reported recent travel to areas with active Zika virus transmission (n = 110) or sexual contact with such a traveler (n = 5). All 115 patients had clinical illness, with the most common signs and symptoms being rash (98%; n = 113), fever (82%; 94), and arthralgia (66%; 76). Health care providers should educate patients, particularly pregnant women, about the risks for, and measures to prevent, infection with Zika virus and other mosquito-borne viruses. Zika virus disease should be considered in patients with acute onset of fever, rash, arthralgia, or conjunctivitis, who traveled to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission (http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/index.html) or who had unprotected sex with a person who traveled to one of those areas and developed compatible symptoms within 2 weeks of returning. Zika virus is primarily transmitted to humans by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (1). Most infections are asymptomatic (2). When occurring, clinical illness is generally mild and characterized by acute onset of fever, maculopapular rash, arthralgia, or nonpurulent conjunctivitis. Symptoms usually last from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon, and deaths are rare. In addition to mosquito-borne transmission, Zika virus infections have been reported through intrauterine transmission resulting in congenital infection, intrapartum transmission from a viremic mother to her newborn, sexual transmission, and laboratory exposure (3,4). Increasing evidence suggests that Zika virus infection during pregnancy can result in microcephaly, other congenital anomalies, and fetal losses (5). Guillain-Barré syndrome also has been associated with recent Zika virus disease (6). However, the frequency of these outcomes is not known. To characterize Zika virus disease among U.S. residents, CDC reviewed demographics, exposures, and reported symptoms of patients with laboratory-evidence of recent Zika virus infection in the United States. Zika virus disease cases among residents of U.S. states with specimens tested at CDC’s Arboviral Diseases Branch during January 1, 2015–February 26, 2016 were identified. The cases included in this report had laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection based on the following findings in serum: 1) Zika virus RNA detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); 2) anti-Zika virus immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with ≥4-fold higher neutralizing antibody titers against Zika virus compared with neutralizing antibody titers against dengue virus; or 3) anti-Zika virus IgM antibodies with <4-fold difference in neutralizing antibody titers between Zika and dengue viruses and a direct epidemiologic link to a person with laboratory evidence of recent Zika virus infection (i.e., vertical transmission from mother to baby or sexual contact). State and local health departments collected information on patient demographics, dates of travel, and clinical signs and symptoms. During January 1, 2015–February 26, 2016, a total of 116 residents of 33 states and the District of Columbia with laboratory evidence of recent Zika virus infection were identified on the basis of testing at CDC. One case occurred in a full-term infant born with severe congenital microcephaly, whose mother had Zika virus disease in Brazil during the first trimester of pregnancy (5). Among the remaining 115 patients (including the infant’s mother), 24 (21%) had illness onset in 2015 and 91 (79%) in 2016. Seventy-five (65%) cases occurred in females (Table 1). The median age of patients was 38 years (range = 3–81 years); 11 (10%) cases occurred in children and adolescents aged <18 years. Of the 115 patients, 110 (96%) reported recent travel to areas of active Zika virus transmission and five (4%) did not travel but reported sexual contact with a traveler who had symptomatic illness. The most frequently reported countries with active Zika virus transmission visited by patients were Haiti (n = 27), El Salvador (16), Colombia (11), Honduras (11), and Guatemala (10). All 115 patients reported a clinical illness with onset during March 2015–February 2016 (Figure). The most commonly reported signs and symptoms were rash (98%), fever (82%), arthralgia (66%), headache (57%), myalgia (55%), and conjunctivitis (37%) (Table 2). Among all 115 patients, 110 (96%) reported two or more of the following symptoms: rash, fever, arthralgia, and conjunctivitis; 75 (65%) reported three or more of these signs or symptoms. Four (3%) patients were hospitalized; no deaths occurred. Among the 109 travelers who had known travel dates, patients reported becoming ill a median of 1 day after returning home (range = 37 days before return to 11 days after return). Laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection included positive RT-PCR test results in 28 (24%) cases and positive serologic test results in 87 (76%) cases; two (2%) cases had serologic evidence of a recent unspecified flavivirus infection and were classified as Zika virus disease cases based on their epidemiologic link to a confirmed case (one vertical transmission and one sexual contact).

SummaryWhat is already known about this topic? Zika virus is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus. Recent outbreaks of Zika virus disease in the Pacific Islands and the Region of the Americas have identified new modes of transmission and clinical manifestations, including adverse pregnancy outcomes. What is added by this report? During January 1, 2015–February 26, 2016, a total of 116 residents of U.S. states and the District of Columbia had laboratory evidence of recent Zika virus infection based on testing performed at CDC, including one congenital infection and 115 persons who reported recent travel to areas with active Zika virus transmission (n = 110) or sexual contact with such a traveler (n = 5). What are the implications for public health practice? Health care providers should educate patients about the risks for Zika virus disease and measures to prevent Zika virus infection and other mosquito-borne infections. Zika virus disease should be considered in patients with acute onset of fever, rash, arthralgia, or conjunctivitis who traveled to areas with ongoing transmission or had unprotected sex with someone who traveled to those areas and developed compatible symptoms within 2 weeks of returning.

Paige Armstrong, MD1; Morgan Hennessey, DVM1; Monica Adams, PhD1; Cara Cherry, DVM1; Sophia Chiu, MD1; Alexia Harrist, MD1; Natalie Kwit, DVM1; Lillianne Lewis, MD1; Dana Olzenak McGuire, PhD1; Titilope Oduyebo, MD1; Kate Russell, MD1; Pamela Talley, MD1; Mary Tanner, MD1; Charnetta Williams, MD1; Zika Virus Response Epidemiology and Laboratory Team (View author affiliations) Corresponding author: Marc Fischer for The Zika Virus Response Epidemiology and Laboratory Team, [email protected], 970-221-6489. Top 1Epidemic Intelligence Service, CDC. (Paige Armstrong and Morgan Hennessey contributed equally to this report). The Zika Virus Response Epidemiology and Laboratory TeamJane Basile, Jacob Brandvold, Amanda Calvert, Amanda Cohn, Marc Fischer, Benjamin Goldman-Israelow, Dana Goodenough, Christin Goodman, Susan Hills, Olga Kosoy, Amy Lambert, Robert Lanciotti, Janeen Laven, Jeremy Ledermann, Jennifer Lehman, Nicole Lindsey, Paul Mead, Eric Mossel, Christina Nelson, Megin Nichols, Daniel O’Leary, Amanda Panella, Ann Powers, Ingrid Rabe, Sarah Reagan-Steiner, J. Erin Staples, and Jason Velez (all these individuals meet authorship criteria). * Please send inquiries about the pregnancy registry to [email protected].

Travel-Associated Zika Virus Disease Cases Among U.S. Residents — United States, January 2015–February 2016Early Release / March 18, 2016 / 65 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6511e1er.htm?s_cid=mm6511e1er_e

Zika Virus – March 18, 2016 Texas has had 23 confirmed cases of Zika virus disease. 22 were in travelers who were infected abroad and diagnosed after they returned home. One case involved a Dallas County resident who had sexual contact with someone who acquired the Zika infection while traveling abroad. Case counts by county: Bexar – 3Dallas – 4Fort Bend – 1Harris – 10Tarrant – 3Travis - 2

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Gov. Cuomo rolls out Zika virus outbreak prevention plan for New YorkBY ERIN DURKIN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Friday, March 18, 2016, 11:19 AMA A Afacebook2TweetemailSHARE THIS URL New Yorks Zika PlanCBS New York Gov. Cuomo launched a new plan Thursday to prevent an outbreak of the Zika virus and target the mosquitos that may carry the disease. The state will give out 100,000 larvicide tablets to New Yorkers to kill mosquito larvae, and set 1,000 traps to catch 60,000 of the bug’s aedes albopictus species each month and test them for Zika. EXPLAINER: THE ZIKA VIRUS “We want to be prepared. We want to be head of it. And we want to be taking aggressive action to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to combat the possible spread of Zika,” Cuomo said at a briefing at his Midtown office with Health Commissioner Howard Zucker. Zika has spread widely through Latin America, passed on by the aedes aegypti mosquito. That species is not present in New York, but the related albopictus, which might carry the virus, lives in the city and nine other counties and makes up 3-5% of the state’s mosquito population. The disease poses the biggest risk to pregnant women, because it may cause a severe birth defect that causes babies to be born with too-small heads. Outside of pregnant women, most people who get it don’t show symptoms at all and those who do experience fever, rash, joint pain and other mild symptoms. MIKE GROLL/APGov. Cuomo expects the number of Zika cases to go up from the 49 reported in the state, with 22 of them in the city and five involving pregnant women.CITY TO INCREASE MOSQUITO TRAPS TO COMBAT ZIKA VIRUS The state plans to give out 20,000 Zika protection kits to pregnant women — with larvicide tablets, insect repellent, and condoms. The virus is also believed to be sexually transmitted. So far, there have been 49 cases of Zika in the state, 22 of them in the city and five involving pregnant women. “We expect that number to go up. How high we don’t know,” Cuomo said. Cuomo said the worst case scenario for New York is if the virus spreads widely in Puerto Rico and proves to be sexually transmitted. OSCAR RIVERA/EPAThe albopictus mosquito, which might carry the Zika virus, lives in the city and nine other counties and makes up 3-5% of the state’s mosquito population.ZIKA VIRUS LINKED TO BRAIN DISORDER MICROCEPHALY “Then you could see those numbers really spike in New York,” he said. “We have a lot of travelers going back and forth to Puerto Rico all the time.” The six-point plan also includes a public awareness campaign targeted at airports where travelers might be coming back from affected areas, and plans to deploy rapid response teams if local transmission of the virus is confirmed. The state is already offering free testing for pregnant women if they or their partner have traveled to countries where the outbreak is underway. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/gov-cuomo-rolls-zika-virus-prevention-plan-new-york-article-1.2569196

So far, there have been 49 cases of Zika in the state, 22 of them in the city and five involving pregnant women. “We expect that number to go up. How high we don’t know,” Cuomo said. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/gov-cuomo-rolls-zika-virus-prevention-plan-new-york-article-1.2569196

Zika Virus InformationAs of March 17, 2016 there are no confirmed cases of Zika virus in South Carolina.

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Laboratory-confirmed Zika virus disease cases reported to ArboNET by state or territory — United States, 2015–2016 (as of March 16, 2016) http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/united-states.html StatesTravel-associated cases* No. (%) (N=258)Locally acquired cases† No. (%) (N=0)Alabama1 (<1)0 (0)Arkansas1 (<1)0 (0)California13 (5)0 (0)Colorado2 (1)0 (0)Delaware1 (<1)0 (0)District of Columbia3 (1)0 (0)Florida59 (23)0 (0)Georgia7 (3)0 (0)Hawaii5 (2)0 (0)Illinois7 (3)0 (0)Indiana4 (2)0 (0)Iowa4 (2)0 (0)Kansas1 (<1)0 (0)Kentucky1 (<1)0 (0)Louisiana2 (1)0 (0)Maryland5 (2)0 (0)Massachusetts3 (1)0 (0)Michigan2 (1)0 (0)Minnesota7 (3)0 (0)Missouri1 (<1)0 (0)Montana1 (<1)0 (0)Nebraska2 (1)0 (0)New Hampshire2 (1)0 (0)New Jersey2 (1)0 (0)New York42 (16)0 (0)North Carolina6 (2)0 (0)Ohio8 (3)0 (0)Oklahoma3 (1)0 (0)Oregon6 (2)0 (0)Pennsylvania8 (3)0 (0)Tennessee1 (<1)0 (0)Texas34 (13)0 (0)Virginia7 (3)0 (0)Washington2 (1)0 (0)West Virginia5 (2)0 (0)

NEW YORK GOV. ANDREW CUOMO ANNOUNCES NEW PLAN TO PREVENT SPREAD OF ZIKA VIRUS N.J. Burkett is live in Midtown with the latest details. EMBED By DAVID KLEPPERThursday, March 17, 2016 05:51PMNEW YORK --New York has a new plan to target a mosquito species that officials fear could carry the Zika virus, which has been linked to skull and brain conditions in newborns. Gov. Andrew Cuomo says Thursday that there have been 49 cases confirmed in New York and more are expected. Nearly all the cases so far were found in people who had traveled to affected areas in Central and South America and parts of Asia and Africa. The virus may be sexually transmitted as well. State officials say they will capture and test the mosquito species for Zika and distribute larvicide to kill the insect. It is only found in and around New York City. In addition, the state will distribute Zika prevention kits containing repellent and condoms to pregnant women. http://abc7ny.com/health/new-york-gov-andrew-cuomo-announces-new-plan-to-prevent-spread-of-zika-virus/1250419/

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