Pregnant women have been advised to avoid travelling to Florida after the first cases of the Zika viruses appeared in the US state.
So far, four cases have been detected in Florida – home to perennially popular tourist attractions like Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld – and are believed to be the first cases of the disease actually being transmitted from within the US.
Until now, the infection – which is carried by mosquitos – has been mostly spread by travel to Latin America and the Caribbean, where the disease is most prevalent, or by sexual transmission.
The latest person to be diagnosed with the Zika virus in Ireland is believed to have just returned from Brazil. This is the fourth case in Ireland in recent months, two of the cases were people returning from Colombia while a third person caught the virus during a trip to Barbados.
Contracting Zika results in only a slight illness in most people, but the virus is believed to cause profound brain defects in newborns (the most common condition being microcephaly) – hence the danger to pregnant women.
There is no treatment or preventive vaccine and, with the Rio Olympics due to start next weekend in the midst of a continental Zika crisis, the UK authorities recently advised pregnant women to avoid travelling to the Games.
Now, Public Health England has updated its travel advice about Florida, saying:
“The risk in Florida is considered moderate based on the number and spread of cases and their demonstrated ability to implement effective control measures for similar diseases such as dengue – a virus transmitted by the same mosquito.
“Pregnant women should consider postponing non-essential travel to affected areas until after the pregnancy. At present, only a zone of about one square mile in Miami-Dade County is considered at risk of active transmission.”
Meanwhile, in the UK this week, three patients who had come back to Britain from overseas, tested positive for the virus at hospitals in Calderdale and Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
The HSE has a designated section of its website devoted to advice about Zika and travel, while the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has more advice for pregnant women and those trying to become pregnant.
People travelling to countries affected are advised to take increased precautions to limit exposure to mosquitoes: wear long trousers and sleeves, use insect repellent and avoid areas where there is likely to be a high density of mosquitoes. The use of mosquito nets is also recommended.
Main image: Estafany Perreira holds her nephew David, 5 months, who has microcephaly caused by the Zika virus, in Recife, Brazil (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
