U.K. Issues Zika Virus Travel Advisory for Florida

TAMPA BAY, FL — Visitors to Florida’s major tourist attractions may notice a reduction in the number of British travelers in the coming weeks. The British government has issued a travel advisory for its citizens wishing to travel to Florida.

The advisory, issued Friday, offers a travel warning related to locally transmitted cases of Zika virus. The warning came after the Florida Department of Health’s Friday confirmation of four “likely” locally transmitted cases of Zika virus infection. The confirmation marked the first four cases of mosquito-transmitted Zika virus in the continental United States. The patients involved live in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

“Cases of locally transmitted Zika virus have been confirmed in the last 3 months in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; if you’re travelling to any of these places, you should follow the advice of the National Travel Health Network and Centre and discuss your travel plans with your healthcare provider, particularly if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant,” the British government warned on its website.

In addition to Zika virus, travelers from the U.K. to Florida are also warned about the annual hurricane season, which runs through November. There’s also a warning about “the dangers of car and street crime.”

The United Kingdom has placed second two years in a row in the number of travelers who vacation in the Sunshine State, according to Visit Florida, the state’s official tourism marketing organization. A total of 1,718,000 travelers from the U.K. paid Florida a visit in 2015, according to the agency. Canada came in first place with an estimated 3.8 million visitors in 2015. That country also issued a health notice on Friday but only shared the findings out of Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Until Friday, the 1,400 or so cases identified in the U.S. had all been contracted while people were traveling out of the U.S. or through sexual transmission. The CDC has confirmed a number of sexually transmitted Zika virus cases in the country. The 15th case, reported in New York earlier this month, was the first in which a woman transmitted the disease to a man. New York, like Florida, has also had a baby born with a Zika virus-related defect.

While British travelers are being warned about the potential local transmission of Zika virus in Florida, the FDOH stresses the threat isn’t widespread across the state.

“Florida’s small case cluster is not considered widespread transmission,” the FDOH said Friday.

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
• 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

Aside from mosquitoes, Zika can be spread through sexual contact in some cases, the CDC said. 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 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 2,421 calls since it was launched Feb. 12, the state reported.

As of Friday, Florida had confirmed 386 travel-related cases of Zika virus to date, meaning those sickened contracted the virus while traveling outside of the state. The total number of cases includes 55 pregnant women who are being monitored. The four locally transmitted cases bring the state's total to 390. More than 20 of the travel-related cases have involved residents in Tampa Bay area counties.

Image via Shutterstock

>>>Follow @PatchTweet on Twitter for the top stories across Patch.