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Zika Emergency Declared In Four Florida Counties


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Gov. Rick Scott declares Zika emergency in 4 counties

Associated Press

TAMPA — Gov. Rick Scott has declared a health emergency in four counties due to the Zika virus.

At least nine cases of the mosquito-borne illness have been detected in Florida. Health officials believe all of the cases are from people who contracted the disease while traveling to affected countries.

Scott signed the order Wednesday to cover Miami-Dade, Lee, Hillsborough and Santa Rosa counties.

The Zika virus is linked to brain deformities in babies and is causing concern among public health officials worldwide. The virus is primarily spread through mosquito bites, but investigators had been exploring the possibility it could be sexually transmitted.

U.S. health officials say a person in Texas became infected with Zika through sex, in the first case of the illness being transmitted within the United States.

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Florida declares health emergency over Zika cases

 
   

Florida officials declared a public health emergency in four counties with confirmed  Zika virus cases, underscoring the increasing concern in the United States.

Gov. Rick Scott (R) said nine cases had been confirmed in Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Lee and Santa Rosa counties and all appear to be "travel-associated." That means that officials believe the patients likely contracted the virus outside the state and most likely outside the country in one of the regions where the virus is spreading.

"We know that we must be prepared for the worst even as we hope for the best," Scott said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been reassuring Americans for days now that none of the cases seen so far have been due to mosquitoes that have made their way to the United States and that therefore Zika is not a major threat to public, yet. Scott appeared to acknowledge this in his executive order, but he also said that he was taking this action to "ensure Florida is prepared and stays ahead of the spread of Zika virus in our state."

Scott's directive gives the Health Department additional power in coordinating a response to Zika and directs the state's environmental unit to cooperate with the Agricultural Department in coming with a mosquito control plan.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/02/03/florida-declares-health-emergency-over-zika-cases/?tid=twisira

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Florida Governor Rick Scott says he wants his state "prepared for the worst" after nine cases of the virus are confirmed.

20:56, UK,Wednesday 03 February 2016

TOPSHOT-COLOMBIA-SCIENCE-HEALTH-ZIKA-VIRUS

The governor of Florida has declared a health emergency in four counties due to the Zika virus.

At least nine cases of the mosquito-bourne illness have been detected in Florida.

Health officials believe that all of the cases are from people who contracted the virus while travelling to affected countries.

Governor Rick Scott signed an emergency order on Wednesday, covering Miami-Dade, Lee, Hillsborough and Santa Rosa counties, where the cases of infection were detected.

The order authorises the state's agriculture department to boost the use of mosquito spray in those counties, primarily in residential areas.

COLOMBIA-SCIENCE-HEALTH-ZIKA-VIRUS
 
 
 
 
 
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"Although Florida's current nine Zika cases were travel-related, we have to ensure Florida is prepared and stays ahead of the spread of the Zika virus in our state," Gov Scott said in a statement.

The move comes a day after health officials in Texas announced that a Zika patient in Dallas acquired the virus through sexual contact - raising fresh fears about the disease, which has been linked to birth defects.

Meanwhile, health officials in Florida's neighbouring state of Georgia confirmed its first Zika case on Wednesday.

That individual contracted the disease after travelling to Columbia in January, and has since made a full recovery, officials said.

:: Zika Virus: Will It Spread And Can We Stop It?

US health officials said last week that 31 people in the US have been diagnosed with Zika in the past year. All of the infections are thought to have originated through travel to Latin America.

Baby in Brazil with microcephaly after mother got Zika virus while pregnant
 
 
 
 
 
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The World Health Organization (WHO) warned last week the virus is "spreading explosively" in the Americas.

The group also warned people in Europe to prepare now for the potential spread of the virus during the spring and summer as temperatures rise.

Zika, which is considered to be primarily spread by mosquitoes, has been linked to a steep increase in the number of babies born with microcephaly, which causes abnormally small heads and brains.

Cases have so far been reported in 36 countries and territories, with Brazil among the worst affected.

Health officials have advised pregnant women to avoid travel to affected areas.

More follows...

http://news.sky.com/story/1635477/florida-declares-emergency-over-zika-virus

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Gov.Scott declares health emergency over Zika virus

6 new travel-related cases of Zika reported in Florida this week

 
 
 
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Rick Scott ordered a public health emergency in four Florida counties after six additional cases of the Zika virus were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Florida Department of Health announced the new travel-related cases in a news release Tuesday. All of the cases were believed to be contracted outside of the state.

Florida has reported a total of nine travel-associated cases to the federal government, including four cases in Miami-Dade County, two cases in Hillsborough, two cases in Lee and one case in Santa Rosa. None of the cases involve pregnant women.

Zika fever illness is generally mild with a rash, fever and joint pain. CDC researchers are examining a possible link between the virus and unborn babies exposed during pregnancy.

 

Florida Zika emergency counties

 

Scott's executive order declares health emergency in the four counties where Zika patients have been identified.

“Although Florida’s current nine Zika cases were travel-related, we have to ensure Florida is prepared and stays ahead of the spread of the Zika virus in our state," Scott said in a statement. "Our Department of Health will continue to be in constant communication with all county health offices, hospitals and the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We know that we must be prepared for the worst even as we hope for the best.”

The executive owner also authorizes the Commissioner of Agriculture to issue a mosquito declaration in Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, Lee and Santa Rosa Counties and says that special attention for mosquito sprays shall be paid to residential areas.

It also directs the Florida Department of Health to make its own determinations as to further resources and information needed in the State from the CDC to combat the spread of Zika and other measures that may need to be taken to protect public health.

http://www.news4jax.com/health/6-new-cases-of-zika-reported-in-florida

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