New Zika cases confirmed in Miami Beach

Lab testing
Lab testing

US Air Force, Brian Ferguson / Flickr cc

Active transmission in Miami Beach

After a weekend of extreme weather due to Hurricane Matthew, the Florida Department of Health (Florida Health) is reporting more cases of locally transmitted Zika virus in the Miami Beach area.

Yesterday and today, Florida Health said there were six non-travel related cases—three of which are tied to Miami Beach—and one case in a non-Florida resident who contracted the virus when traveling in the Wynwood neighborhood earlier this summer. There are now 147 locally acquired Zika cases in Florida, plus 19 cases in non-Florida residents.

Florida Health said Miami Beach remains the only site of active transmission in the state, and pregnant women are still to avoid unnecessary travel to that area. All pregnant woman in Florida are encouraged to received prenatal Zika screening and take appropriate precautions against the disease, including using bug spray, wearing long sleeves, and using condoms if they have sex with someone who could be exposed.

There have been 103 pregnant women in Florida diagnosed as having a Zika virus infection.

Labs feel strain

Pregnant woman tested for Zika in places like Florida and Texas are experiencing added anxiety as delayed lab testing causes wait times of 1 month or longer, according to Kaiser Health News. Because of a lack of funding, public health labs are not able to keep up with the flurry of tests, and are not expected to see federal dollars that will help expand testing centers until early 2017.

The problem, according to experts, is that public health departments have been uniformly shrinking cross the country. A virus like Zika, which necessitates widespread testing because of its often "silent" nature, taxes most health department's laboratory capacities.

More cases expected in Asia

Elsewhere, the WHO warned that countries in the Asia Pacific region will likely see more Zika cases in the coming weeks, according to a story by Agence France-Presse (AFP) yesterdat. After Singapore reported hundreds of cases and two instances of microcephaly were confirmed in Thailand, the WHO said it was "highly likely" the illness would spread in China, Japan, Australia, and the Pacific islands. The comments were made at the WHO's annual regional meeting in Manila.

So far, Singapore has reported more than 400 cases of Zika, with Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia each reporting around 20 cases. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, MD, MPH, said that although Zika has been in the Asia Pacific region since 1947, it's unclear what's causing the recent spate. She said international travel and weather could be factors.

See also:

Oct 10 Florida Health update

Oct 11 Florida Health update

Oct 10 Kaiser Health News story

Oct 10 AFP story

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