Don't Get Pregnant in Miami: Feds Set up Second Zika Zone

Federal health authorities said Friday that pregnant women and their partners consider postponing travel to all of Miami-Dade County after Florida identified a second zone of local Zika transmission, a large area of Miami Beach that includes the popular tourist magnet of South Beach.

This is an enormously important development. It is common for US authorities to urge people not to travel abroad to places where Zika is prevalent. But for them to tell Americans to avoid Miami, a US city of 3 million, is without president in modern times.

Travelers coming back from the Olympic Games in Rio and other vacation spots where the Zika virus is spreading are urged to take precautions upon return to help prevent the spread of the virus in California. While the virus is primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, it can also pass from one person to another during sex.

"Summer travelers who spent time in Brazil or any other region with Zika-infected mosquitoes can protect themselves, their families and community members by taking a few simple steps," said California Department of Public Health Director and State Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. "Continue using insect repellent to prevent spreading the virus to mosquitoes in your community upon your return and refrain from unprotected sex so you don't pass the virus to your partner."

Men and women should use condoms for at least eight weeks after travel, and men who have tested positive for Zika should use condoms for six months to prevent transmission to their partners. Travelers returning from an affected region should also continue using insect repellent for three weeks to prevent the virus from spreading to mosquitoes, which might then infect others.

"Pregnant women and couples planning to have children need to be especially cautious because Zika can cause significant harm to a developing fetus," said Dr. Smith. "Pregnant women who have traveled to an area with Zika should inform their doctor upon return, and couples returning from an affected area should speak with a doctor before getting pregnant."

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause severe birth defects, including microcephaly. Two infants with Zika-related microcephaly have been born in California this year to women who had Zika virus infections during pregnancy after spending time in an area where the virus is circulating in mosquitoes.

Pregnant women should not travel to that particular zone where the Zika virus is active, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, and "pregnant women and their sexual partners who are concerned about potential Zika virus exposure may also consider postponing nonessential travel to all parts of Miami-Dade County."

Gov. Rick Scott said there were five cases of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes in Miami Beach. The three men and two women include two Florida residents and three people who had traveled to Miami - one from New York, one from Texas and one from Taiwan.

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While mosquitoes that can carry the virus have been found in 12 California counties, there is no evidence these mosquitoes are transmitting Zika in the state at this time. A team of experts across several disciplines at CDPH is working closely with local public health departments, vector control agencies and the medical community to ensure that California is responding aggressively and appropriately to the emerging threat of Zika virus.

As of August 19, CDPH has confirmed 170 travel-associated Zika virus infections in 26 counties. A total of 24 infections have been confirmed in pregnant women.

For more information about Zika, visit the CDPH Zika website, which includes the following resources:

Zika and Travel

Zika and Pregnancy

Zika and Sex

Mosquito Bite Prevention

http://www.cdph.ca.gov

hhs.gov - u.s. department of health and human services

Zika Virus Update

The Numbers:

Zika Case Count: As of August 17, there were more than 10,200 confirmed cases of Zika virus in U.S. States and Territories.

2,260 confirmed cases of Zika in U.S. States and Washington DC.

8,035 confirmed cases of Zika in U.S. Territories.

Pregnant women with evidence of Zika virus: As of August 11, there were more than 1,200 pregnant women with evidence of Zika virus.

529 pregnant women in U.S. States and Washington, DC.

691 pregnant women in U.S. Territories.

For a state-by-state table of Zika cases in the U.S. visit: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/united-states.html

Theme for the week of August 22, 2016: Moms-To-Be: Protect Your Pregnancy from Zika! The Best Way to Protect Your Baby is to Protect Yourself

The Zika theme for the week of August 22 is Moms-To-Be: Protect Your Pregnancy from Zika! The Best Way to Protect Your Baby is to Protect Yourself. Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects. Zika also has been linked with other problems in infants, including eye defects, hearing loss, and impaired growth. Because Zika infection is a cause of microcephaly, pregnant women should strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites and to protect against sexual transmission.

Notable Zika News:

HHS declares a public health emergency in Puerto Rico in response to Zika outbreak: Last Friday, at the request of Governor Alejandro García Padilla, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell declared a public health emergency for Puerto Rico, signaling that the current spread of Zika virus poses a significant threat to public health in the Commonwealth relating to pregnant women and children born to pregnant women with Zika. To read the news release, please click here. If you have questions regarding this announcement, please contact: media@cdc.gov.

FDA issues an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for emergency use of a Zika detection test .: On Wednesday, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for emergency use of InBios International, Inc.'s ("InBios"), ZIKV Detect™ IgM Capture ELISA for the presumptive detection of Zika virus IgM antibodies in human sera collected from individuals meeting the CDC Zika virus clinical criteria, and/or CDC Zika virus epidemiological criteria, by laboratories in the United States that are certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA), 42 U.S.C. § 263a, to perform high complexity tests. To read the EUA, please click here. If you have questions regarding this announcement, please contact: fdaoma@fda.hhs.gov

CDC updates interim guidance for the evaluation and management of infants with possible congenital Zika virus infection: Today, CDC updated its interim guidance for U.S. health care providers caring for infants born to mothers with possible Zika virus infection during pregnancy. Among the updates include Laboratory testing is recommended for infants born to mothers with laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection during pregnancy and infants who have abnormal clinical or neuroimaging findings suggestive of congenital Zika syndrome and a maternal epidemiologic link suggesting possible transmission, regardless of maternal Zika virus test results. To read the updated guidance, please click here. If you have questions regarding this guidance, please contact: media@cdc.gov.

Additional area of active Zika transmission identified in Miami Beach: Also today, working with Florida health officials on investigating cases of locally transmitted Zika virus, CDC announced that an additional area of active Zika transmission has been confirmed in a section of Miami Beach, in addition to the area of active Zika transmission near Wynwood. As a result, CDC has updated its travel guidance recommending pregnant should avoid travel to the designated area of Miami Beach, in addition to the designated area of Wynwood, both located in Miami-Dade County. The Florida Department of Health has also identified at least four other instances of apparently mosquito-borne Zika in Miami-Dade County, and has reported an increase in travel-related cases. CDC recommends that pregnant women and their sexual partners who are concerned about potential Zika virus exposure may also consider postponing nonessential travel to all parts of Miami Dade County. To read CDC's statement, please click here. If you have questions regarding the statement please contact: media@cdc.gov.

Learn More About Zika Virus

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other news materials are available at https://www.hhs.gov/news. Like HHS on Facebook , follow HHS on Twitter @HHSgov , and sign up for HHS Email Updates. If you have a media request, please email media@hhs.gov

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