More rain means more mosquitoes and in Florida, where nearly all of the 224 locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus occurred last year, more mosquitoes means an increase in the possibilities of Zika Virus outbreaks.
As Florida’s rainy season nears, crews are heading out in South Florida with larvicide to kill the mosquitoes before they’re able to hatch. Currently the Zika vaccine is in phase two of testing and won’t be ready for distribution this season, so the mosquito control budget has been increased and Floridian community awareness is being pushed.
Zika can be transmitted when the temperature reaches around 84 degrees fahrenheit, and as Floridians know, that’s not a hard temperature to hit.
Statistically, 1 in 10 babies born to mothers infected by the Zika virus will suffer from a major birth defect. The children who are not born with a serious issue diagnosed at birth need to be continuously monitored through check up appointments to ensure that over time no Zika related medical issues arise.
Doctors focus on making sure these children are hearing properly and that the backs of their eyes are developing as they should be during these check-ups being that these are both possible symptoms of the Zika virus.
Follow up care is extremely critical for the lasting optimal health of these children. Unfortunately, only about 75% of parents with children born to ZIka infected mothers participate in continuous routine check ups, thus 25% of the cases are lost and the data from these children becomes inaccessible.
Although there haven’t been any new locally transmitted cases in Florida since March, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is still finding up to 40 pregnant women infected with Zika each week across the nation.
If you feel you have been exposed or infected by the Zika virus and need to find a reviewed and approved healthcare provider in your area please visit FL Top Docs (www.FLTopDocs.com) or contact us ([email protected]).
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/zika-virus-threat-zika-positive-mom-yessica-flores-baby-checkup/
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