At the beginning of August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance for people who lived or traveled to a 1-square-mile area of the Wynwood neighborhood in Miami, Florida, after the local Department of Health found Zika-carrying mosquitoes. On Aug. 19, it was Miami Beach that received a 1.5-square-mile restriction, only to be extended to 4.5 miles on Sept. 17.
Two days later, the Wynwood area was declared safe, as the result of no Zika cases registered throughout three consecutive incubation periods.
On Oct. 13, a new 1-square-mile area in Miami-Dade was registered as an active Zika transmission zone. Because of the continuous spread of the virus, the the guidance was expanded on Oct. 19 to cover the entire Miami-Dade County.
The areas considered dangerous for the spread of Zika virus are labeled as red or yellow, meaning active transmission areas and cautionary areas. The first represents a geographic perimeter where cases were reported and the authorities consider the place to be highly dangerous for pregnant women.
The yellow sections are areas where the transmission of the virus has not been that powerful. However, it is recommended for pregnant women to avoid both these geographic labels, regardless of their color.
After the last update, the 4.5-square-mile Miami Beach perimeter and the 1-square-mile area in Little River, Miami-Dade fall under the red label, while the rest of the Miami-Date County fall under the yellow region, more as a preventive mechanism than as an imminent danger in itself.
However, cautionary areas come along with suggested procedures for the pregnant women who have recently been there, including testing whenever the slightest symptoms of the disease occur. Consequently, pregnant women who have had unprotected sexual intercourse with a partner who visited the specific area are strongly advised to test for Zika, regardless of the presence of symptoms.
Additionally, women who have been to cautionary areas are advised to wait for at least eight weeks before trying to get pregnant in order to avoid all possible dangers.
Currently, there are 23 registered live-born children with birth defects attributed to Zika infection, and five pregnancy losses with birth defects due to the same reason. The numbers posted on the CDC website are not real-time data. They're updated weekly, every Thursday, and show a one-week delay.
Among the poor birth outcomes attributed to the disease, microcephaly, calcium deposits in the brain suggesting possible brain damage, excess fluid in the brain cavities and around it, or poorly formed brain structures are some of the most severe effects.
