From Clay Today
May 1, 2019
Yellow fever and Asian tiger mosquitoes found in Florida – and infected with the Zika virus – are good at transmitting the virus, new University of Florida research shows. Zika can make people sick and in rare cases may cause paralysis (Guillain-Barré Syndrome) and birth defects.
Zika was in the news a lot in 2015 and 2016 after an outbreak of the virus in Brazil made its way via humans to people in Florida and other places. Scientists believe the yellow fever mosquito was the primary culprit behind that Zika outbreak.
Meanwhile, researchers at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and across the globe are keeping a close eye on the virus and how it goes from mosquito to human. By continuing to research Zika, UF/IFAS scientists hope to provide better information to mosquito control officials and health care practitioners.
“Despite the absence of current local transmission in Florida, Zika will remain a public health threat for the foreseeable future in the Americas,” said Barry Alto, an associate professor of entomology at the UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach. “This study and many others address gaps in our understanding of the epidemiology of Zika,”