The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working on a Zika response plan for when the first local cases are detected in the United States and has shared some of its plans with states most vulnerable to the disease, media outlets reported today.
The document is still in draft form and not publicly available, but yesterday the CDC held a video briefing on it with health officials from states thought to be in the path of the virus, The Hill reported today.
The CDC was slated to follow that up today with a teleconference for a wider group of state and local health officials, according to an e-mail notice from earlier this week.
According to the plan, health officials will send a rapid-response team whenever a local case is detected in any of the states, the Washington Post reported today. CDC experts, if asked by an affected state, would be available in 10- to 15-person teams to help with case monitoring, lab tests, and mosquito control.
Jurisdictions that were part of yesterday's videoconference included Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Hawaii, California, and Los Angeles County, according to the Post.
Case numbers grow
In a pair of weekly updates yesterday, the CDC reported more Zika infections in residents of US territories and among US travelers, plus additional infections in pregnant women in the territories and on the mainland.
Affected territories reported 191 more Zika cases last week, most of them in Puerto Rico, boosting the number of local infections to 1,301. One fewer Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) case was reported, lowering that number to seven.
On the US mainland, the CDC reported 73 more Zika infections in travelers, lifting the total to 691. No additional sexual transmission cases were reported, holding that number at 11, and 1 more GBS case was noted, increasing that total to 2.
The latest data from Zika pregnancy registries shows that, as of Jun 2, 31 more Zika infections in pregnant women were reported on the US mainland and in Puerto Rico, increasing the overall total to 372. Of the overall cases, 206 are from the continental US and 166 are from US territories, mainly Puerto Rico.
See also:
Jun 10 The Hill report
Jun 10 Washington Post story
Jun 9 CDC number of Zika cases in the United States and territories
Jun 9 CDC number of Zika cases in pregnant women
