Florida Zika Virus Case Count Hits 311

Manatee County, FL — The total number of confirmed, travel-related Zika virus cases in Florida climbed by 18 on Friday, bringing the state’s total to 311. Friday’s announcement represented the largest number of new cases confirmed in a single day since the state began reporting new instances earlier this year.

Friday’s new cases came from counties across the state, including several in the Tampa Bay area. Manatee County logged its first case on Friday and is now included in the state’s Declaration of Public Health Emergency. Other new Bay area cases include two in Polk County and one in Hillsborough County.

Florida’s 18 new cases were announced as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first case of female-to-male transmission of the virus in New York. The agency had only previously recorded transmission from males to females.

Florida’s total of 311 travel-related cases includes 43 pregnant women.

See also:

• 1st Baby Born With Zika Virus-Related Defect Born In Florida
• Zika Virus in Florida: What Pregnant Women Need to Know
• CDC Records First Female-to-Male Zika Virus Transmission

All confirmed Zika virus cases in Florida are travel-related, the state said. That means those infected contracted the virus while traveling outside of the state.

The CDC has confirmed that the virus is responsible for causing severe defects in unborn children, including microcephaly, which leaves babies with abnormally small heads and often with brains that do not develop properly.

“Babies with the defect often have a range of problems including developmental delay, intellectual disability, problems with movement and balance, hearing loss and vision problems,” the Florida Department of Health said in an email to media.

FDOH confirmed the recent birth of a baby with microcephaly in Florida. The baby’s mother, the state said, is a citizen of Haiti. She traveled to Florida to deliver the child.

Zika is a mosquito-borne illness that is characterized by a fever, rash and joint pain. While the illness typically resolves within a week, some severe cases may require hospitalization.

Aside from mosquitoes, Zika can be spread through sexual contact in some cases, the CDC notes. One of the confirmed cases in Polk County originated through sexual contact, the state of Florida reported. The patient in the case contracted the virus while traveling outside of the country.

The CDC recommends women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant postpone travel to Zika-affected areas.

To help residents resolve questions about the virus and its spread, the state has set up a Zika Virus Information Hotline at 1-855-622-6735. The hotline has fielded more than 2,292 calls since it was launched Feb. 12, the state reported.

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