NEWS

Two Zika infections confirmed in Lee County

Frank Gluck
FGLUCK@NEWS-PRESS.COM

The Florida Department of Health has confirmed two cases of the Zika virus in Lee County, bringing the state's number of such infections to nine.

Zika virus is most commonly spread through mosquito bites.

Health officials say all the affected Floridians, including the two in Lee County, were infected in Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti or Venezuela. It was not clear from the released information where the Lee County residents were infected.

Others Florida cases include four Miami-Dade County residents, two from Hillsborough County and one from Santa Rosa County.

Zika, which is most commonly spread by mosquito bites but may be sexually transmitted, has alarmed global health agencies because of its suspected link to birth defects in Brazil. The virus usually causes several days of mild symptoms, including fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes).

The World Health Organization has declared this season's Zika outbreak a "public health emergency."

None of Florida's confirmed Zika cases involve pregnant women, the health department reported.

"Florida has many years of success in containing other mosquito-borne diseases and emerging health threats," said Dr. John Armstrong, the state's surgeon general and secretary of health, in a written statement Tuesday. "Through these experiences, the department remains ready to protect residents and visitors from the Zika virus."

On Tuesday, Texas public health officials identified the first U.S.-based Zika infection transmitted through sexual contact. That person became infected after having sex with a partner who had recently returned from Venezuela.

Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, an urologist with Orlando Health, said Zika's spread through sex is worrying because only 1 in 5 infected people show symptoms of the virus. And most such symptoms are mild, Brahmbhatt said.

"I think it is definitely something to be concerned about, because Zika is spreading rapidly — not only here in Florida but throughout the entire U.S. and the world," he said. His recommendations to patients getting ready to travel to such areas: "Just be smart. You just have to use precautions as with any sexually transmitted disease."

Health Department advisories about the virus have urged residents and visitors to Florida to employ traditional tactics to protect themselves from mosquitoes:

  • Drain water from garbage cans, house gutters, buckets, pool covers, coolers, toys, flower pots or any other containers where sprinkler or rain water has collected.
  • Discard old tires, drums, bottles, cans, pots and pans, broken appliances and other items that aren't being used.
  • Empty and clean birdbaths and pet's water bowls at least once or twice a week.
  • Protect boats and vehicles from rain with tarps that don’t accumulate water.
  • Maintain swimming pools in good condition and appropriately chlorinated. That includes emptying plastic swimming pools when not in use.
  • Use insect repellent with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus and IR3535.

Shelly Redovan, spokeswoman for the Lee County Mosquito Control District, said normal precautions should offer enough protection, even for pregnant women and those thinking about getting pregnant.

"It should not be something they should panic about," Redovan said. "Just be aware and just be a little cautious."

Zika was not identified in the Western Hemisphere until May 2015, when the Pan American Health Organization issued alerts about cases in Brazil, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC has since issued advisories for people planning to travel to countries where Zika transmissions are ongoing, including: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Pregnant women are advised to postpone travel to these and other affected countries. Women trying to get pregnant should speak with their doctors before any such trips, the CDC said.

Patients exhibiting symptoms and have traveled to Zika-affected regions are tested for the virus. The CDC's Arbovirus Diagnostic Laboratory confirms such results, though Florida's public health laboratory can test for infections if patients meet testing criteria.

Connect with this reporter: @FrankGluck (Twitter)