Categories: Brevard County

Brevard County Zika Cases Increase By 150% In One Day

BREVARD COUNTY, Florida – The number of cases of the Zika virus that have been confirmed on Florida’s Space Coast increased by 150% on Tuesday, raising the total number of confirmed cases in Brevard County, Florida from four to six.

As of July 14, 2016, there have been 250 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Florida – all of which have been travel related.

While local transmissions have not occurred in the Sunshine State, local transmissions are possible if a Zika infected visitor or returning traveler is bitten by Florida mosquitoes that then spread the virus to other people they bite.

However, a recent NASA study predicted that locally acquired outbreaks are most likely to occur in Florida during July during peak mosquito and travel season.

Although the Zika virus pandemic has afflicted much of Latin America and the Caribbean and is most likely to gain foothold in the continental U.S. through Florida this summer, President Barack Obama and Congress have not enacted any travel restrictions from those countries.

The Zika virus is spread by bites from two mosquito species: Aedes aegypti (primarily) and Aedes albopictus, both found in Florida. In addition to the Zika virus, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can also transmit dengue fever, Chikungunya virus, West Nile virus, and Yellow Fever.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, babies born with the Zika virus transmitted from their mothers who contracted the disease while pregnant have developed microcephaly – disease which causes the babies’ brains and heads to shrink. Women who are pregnant or could become pregnant should avoid travel to Zika-affected areas, including Florida.

Just last month, the Florida Department of Health announced that there has been the first confirmed case of microcephaly in a baby born in Florida.

Florida counties where the Zika virus has been detected as of July 14, 2016 (excluding 43 pregnant cases):testing in commercial laboratories.

County	Number of Cases (all travel related)
Alachua	5
Brevard	6
Broward	43
Charlotte	1
Citrus	2
Clay	3
Collier	4
Duval	6
Escambia	1
Highlands	1
Hillsborough	6
Lake	1
Lee	6
Martin	1
Miami-Dade	78
Okaloosa	1
Orange	25
Osceola	12
Palm Beach	13
Pasco	5
Pinellas	7
Polk	8
Santa Rosa	1
Seminole	9
St. Johns	2
St. Lucie	1
Volusia	2
Total cases not involving pregnant women	250