New Zika Virus Case Reported in Manatee County

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Manatee County’s second travel-related Zika virus case was confirmed by the Florida Department of Health on Monday along with another new travel-related case in St. Lucie County. The announcement of the two new cases came a few hours after Gov. Rick Scott announced that 14 locally acquired cases have been confirmed in South Florida so far.

The South Florida cases involve people who are believed to have contracted the Zika virus after being bitten by mosquitoes in the Miami-Dade area. As of Monday, the state had 333 travel-related cases confirmed along with 55 cases involving pregnant women. All told, travel- and non-travel related Zika virus cases in Florida now total 402.

Manatee County’s second case adds to the total number reported in the Tampa Bay region. So far, confirmed travel-related cases in the Bay area have occurred in:

• Hillsborough County – 10
• Pasco County – 6
• Pinellas County – 7
• Polk County – 12

Sarasota County has yet to log a confirmed Zika virus case.

Florida became the first state in the nation to confirm locally acquired Zika virus cases on Friday. The four cases initially reported involved two people in Miami-Dade County and two in Broward. The 10 new cases, Scott said, are believed to have originated in the same square-mile area implicated in local transmission on Friday. Locally acquired cases involve transmission of the virus through mosquito bites.

“This remains the only area of the state where DOH has confirmed there are ongoing local transmissions of Zika,” Scott’s statement issued Monday said. “Among the 10 new individuals announced today, six are asymptomatic and were identified from the door-to-door community survey that DOH is conducting.”

Zika virus 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.

The CDC has confirmed that the Zika 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.

See also:

• U.S. Mosquitoes Transmit Zika Virus for First Time
• U.K. Issues Zika Virus Travel Advisory for Florida
• Florida Promises ‘Aggressive Mosquito Control Efforts’
• Zika Virus in Florida: March of Dimes Offers Advice, Warnings for Pregnant Women
• Congress Vacations While Zika Virus Spreads Locally in U.S.
• Florida Zika Virus Update: Non-Travel-Related Case Under Investigation
• 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

The CDC recommends women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant postpone travel to areas where there is widespread Zika infection.

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 2,480 calls since it was launched Feb. 12, the state reported.

In light of confirmed local transmission of the virus, the United Kingdom issued a travel advisory on Friday to its residents planning travel to Florida. It is warning pregnant women especially about the dangers the virus may pose.

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