BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW AND BERNICE BORN
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to deliver travel alerts about the Zika virus amid concerns over blood supply safety and new reports of Zika spreading into Florida.
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Source: CDC
“Zika is here,” declared CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D.
Dr. Frieden’s statement followed the occurrence in a Miami neighborhood of the first documented Zika instances of local transmission in the continental United States. Meanwhile, Zika infections are “skyrocketing” in Puerto Rico, with 5,500 confirmed cases — a number the CDC considers to be a massive undercount.
A recent news release from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute raises the disturbing question of whether Zika is a threat to the world’s blood supply. Blood researchers say it is highly likely that the Zika virus can be transmitted through blood transfusions and call for further study and screening.
WiRED International emphasizes that the best way to prevent Zika is to avoid mosquito bites and to limit the spread of mosquitoes. WiRED will continue to monitor Zika and issue updates.