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CDC warns pregnant women against travel to Miami

Posted at 7:43 PM, Aug 01, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-01 20:43:32-04

A big warning has been issued for pregnant women.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is telling pregnant women to avoid travel to Miami following 10 more confirmed, homegrown Zika cases. The new cases bring the number of people infected by local mosquitoes to 14.

The CDC is focused on the Wynwood neighborhood, which is just north of downtown Miami. Experts believe Zika started spreading in the area around June 15.

Dana Hawkinson is an infectious disease doctor at the University of Kansas Hospital.

"Pregnant women, most specifically their fetuses, if they get infection can have very catastrophic consequences with the developing fetus. We certainly want to do everything we can to protect the baby," said Hawkinson.

The CDC is sending an emergency response team to Florida and is telling pregnant women to take steps to avoid mosquito bites.

Back in January, the CDC warned pregnant women to avoid places with ongoing Zika outbreaks, including Puerto Rico.

According to the CDC, Zika has been diagnosed in at least 855 pregnant women, with about half of those cases in Puerto Rico. Thirteen babies in the U.S. have been born with Zika-related birth defects, and seven pregnancies have been lost to miscarriage or abortion due to Zika.

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Lisa Benson can be reached at lisa.benson@kshb.com.

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