New York’s 9 Zika Cases Prompt Conference for Health Officials

Saturday, January 30, 2016 6:00 pm | < 1 Minute Read

A municipal health worker carries out fumigation on a street as part of the city's efforts to prevent the spread of the Zika virus vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, January 30, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera — A municipal health worker carries out fumigation on a street as part of the city’s efforts to prevent the spread of the Zika virus vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Jan. 30. (Reuters/Jorge Cabrera)

Officials say they will host an online conference on the Zika virus for health professionals statewide following the identification of nine cases in New York. State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said Saturday that officials will discuss how they’re reducing the risk of spreading Zika during Monday’s forum.

The mosquito-borne virus has been identified in nine New Yorkers who recently returned from countries where the virus is actively being transmitted.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued travel warnings for expectant women in countries mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean. The virus has been linked with microcephaly, which can leave affected babies with unusually small heads and abnormal brain development.

State health officials say they’ll closely monitor mosquitoes when the weather warms.

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