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Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Florida Declares Emergency Over Zika Virus

At least nine cases of the mosquito-bourne illness have been detected in Florida.

Health officials there believe all of the cases are from people who contracted the virus while travelling to affected countries.

Governor Rick Scott signed the emergency order on Wednesday, covering Miami-Dade, Lee, Hillsborough and Santa Rosa counties, where the cases of infection were detected.

The order authorised the state's agriculture department to boost the use of mosquito spray in those counties, primarily in residential areas.

"Although Florida's current nine Zika cases were travel-related, we have to ensure Florida is prepared and stays ahead of the spread of the Zika virus in our state," Gov Scott said in a statement.

The move comes a day after health officials in Texas announced that a Zika patient in Dallas acquired the virus through sexual contact - raising fresh fears about the disease, which has been linked to birth defects.

Meanwhile, health officials in Florida's neighbouring state of Georgia confirmed its first Zika case on Wednesday.

That individual contracted the disease after travelling to Columbia in January, and has since made a full recovery, officials said.

US health officials said last week that 31 people in the US have been diagnosed with Zika in the past year. All of the infections are thought to have originated through travel to Latin America.

What Is The Zika Virus?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the virus is "spreading explosively" in the Americas.

The group also warned people in Europe to prepare now for the potential spread of the virus during the spring and summer as temperatures rise.

Zika, which is considered to be primarily spread by mosquitoes, has been linked to a steep increase in the number of babies born with microcephaly, which causes abnormally small heads and brains.

Cases have so far been reported in 36 countries and territories, with Brazil among the worst affected.

The US has issued a travel alert to 30 destinations, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Jamaica and Tonga in the South Pacific were added to the list on Wednesday.

Health officials have advised pregnant women to avoid travel to affected areas.


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