Photo by James Gathany of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Starting Monday, state Surgeon General Dr. John Armstrong will give daily Zika updates at 2 p.m. Aside from Osceola, there are three cases in Hillsborough, five cases in Miami-Dade, two cases in Lee, one case in Santa Rosa, one case in Broward and one case in St. Johns. None of the cases involve pregnant women, the release says.
On Thursday, Gov. Scott asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to give Florida "at least 1,000 Zika antibody tests so the state can test individuals, especially pregnant women and new mothers, who have traveled to affected areas and had symptoms of Zika," according to the release. Currently, Florida only has the capacity to test 475 people.
Symptoms of the Zika virus include a fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis, headache and muscle pain, according to CDC. Researchers are studying the link between the Zika virus and unborn babies after Brazilan health officials reported a possible connection between Zika and the spike in Brazil of microcephaly, a birth defect that causes babies to be born with smaller heads and brains. Armstrong urged Floridians to drain standing water, no matter how small.
"A couple drops of water in a bottle cap can be a breeding location for mosquitoes," the DOH release says.
