If you sit down and start crunching numbers related to Zika cases in Georgia, you might feel like it’s time to quarantine your home and lock yourself in a bunker. In just one week the number of Zika cases in Georgia has hopped from 48 cases to more than 60.
One of the latest cases comes from a Georgia Southern University official who did confirm a Zika case on campus but did not reveal if it was student or faculty.
New cases of the virus are being reported at an alarming rate but there is something else all the patients have in common that gives state officials and Georgia residents reason to remain calm—they were all traveling when they contracted the virus.
So far there are no signs that the virus is being transmitted within state lines.
Florida, on the other hand, is the only state that has seen the virus transmitted locally.
“The number of non-travel related cases in that state now stands at 43, with the majority having occurred in Miami-Dade County,” 11Alive reported.
But just because Georgia hasn’t seen any locally transmitted cases just yet doesn’t mean people shouldn’t still take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from the virus.
“We still want people to protect themselves,” Southeast Health District Public Information Officer Mary Beth Kennedy Butler told 11Alive.
The number of cases in Georgia is still on the rise and residents should always keep that fact in mind.
The CDC is urging residents to be diligent about wearing mosquito spray and to avoid having sex with anyone who has contracted the virus.
The warnings are particularly urgent for women to follow as the virus can cause brain-related birth defects in women who are pregnant. For the average case, however, the virus typically only causes a mild illness.
