Texas Remains Vigilant as First Local Transmission of Zika in the United States Consumes Florida

By: Brianna DAlessio South, Marketing Specialist

In a historic move, the Centers for Disease Control advised pregnant women yesterday not to travel to a neighborhood outside of Miami because of the Zika virus. That neighborhood has seen 14 cases of locally transmitted cases of the virus, a first in the United States. The 500+ other cases of Zika in the U.S. this year were imported from travelers to Latin America.

The Texas Tribune reported that “if mosquito-to-human transmission of the virus begins in Texas — a scenario that public health officials have said is likely to happen on a small scale — the state will quickly announce where the geographic risk areas are.”

The virus can cause microcephaly, or severe birth defects. Legacy Community Health reiterates its travel advisory, first issued in February, for pregnant patients to avoid traveling to the Zika-affected countries in Central and South America. The health care organization also continues to provide pregnant moms or those considering pregnancy with a Zika Prevention Pack at no cost.

In a just-released podcast for the National Association of Community Health Centers, Kevin Nix discusses what Legacy and the city of Houston are doing to manage the virus in Southeast Texas.  There is no evidence of local transmission in Texas at this time.