CDC warns against visiting a Zika-hit Miami neighborhood
Pregnant women and their partners are being urged to steer clear of Wynwood.
Reports of the first active Zika transmissions in the US are leading to some far-reaching precautions in Miami. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning both pregnant women and their partners to steer clear of the city's Wynwood neighborhood (including The Shops at Midtown Miami) out of concern that they might be infected. The CDC is also asking future mothers to get Zika tests in their first or second trimesters if they've been in the area from June 15th onward, and to use condoms (or other barrier-based contraceptives) if they have sex.
The warning extends to couples even thinking about having children. You should wait at least 8 weeks to try if you've been in the area, the CDC says. And if you're a man who has exhibited symptoms, you should wait a minimum of 6 months.
Disease control experts don't expect to see American Zika outbreaks on the scale of those seen in Central America, the Caribbean and South America. Better overall sanitation and anti-mosquito protections (such as window screens) should reduce the odds of infection. However, it's clear that the CDC isn't taking any chances -- it wants to contain even the slightest hint of Zika before it becomes a serious crisis.
