NEW YORK – The government has come up with a plan in case mosquitoes start spreading Zika in the U.S.
Health officials aren’t expecting big outbreaks like in Latin America and the Caribbean. But they do think some local cases in the U.S. are likely.
States can call on a special team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help out under the plan issued Tuesday. The plan also details steps for destroying mosquitoes and breeding sites in the area. That work should last for at least 45 days after the last illness.
The Zika virus causes only a mild and brief illness, at worst, in most people. But it can cause fetal deaths and severe birth defects in the children of women infected during pregnancy.
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