New Tampa Bay Zika Case Confirmed

TALLAHASSEE, FL — A new travel-related Zika virus case was confirmed in Hillsborough County Friday along with 11 others across the state. No new non-travel related cases were added to the growing list of confirmed infections, which has now climbed to 756 across the state.

Hillsborough County’s new case was joined by seven in Miami-Dade and two in Broward counties. One case was confirmed in each Okaloosa and Orange counties, as well.

Zika is a mosquito-borne illness that presents with a fever, joint pain and rash. The illness typically goes away within a week, but some cases may require hospitalization. Zika may also be spread through sexual contact, health officials say.

The CDC has confirmed that the Zika virus is responsible for causing severe defects in unborn children, including microcephaly, which leaves babies with abnormally small heads and often with brains that do not develop properly.

The CDC recommends women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant postpone travel to areas where there is widespread Zika infection.

Most of the state’s cases to date are travel-related, meaning people got the infection while traveling outside of the country. A total of 56 infections, so far, have been blamed on local transmission, which means patients are believed to have contracted the virus in Florida.

Here is a breakdown of infections confirmed by DOH:

• Travel related – 616
• Non-travel related – 56
• Infections involving pregnant women – 84

Travel-related infections in the Tampa Bay area confirmed by DOH are as follows:

• Hernando County – 4
• Hillsborough County – 17
• Manatee County – 3
• Pasco County – 8
• Pinellas County – 16
• Polk County – 21

Pinellas County also has one non-travel related case on record.

To help residents resolve questions about the virus and its spread, the state of Florida has set up a Zika Virus Information Hotline at 1-855-622-6735. More information may also be found on the FDOH website.

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