Homegrown Zika raises more questions about the evolving risk

WASHINGTON (AP) — Homegrown mosquitoes have infected more than a dozen people with Zika in a small area of Miami, and officials are recommending that pregnant women stay away from the neighborhood.

[...] Zika can cause severe brain birth defects, and even limited local spread could put nearby women who are pregnant or trying to conceive at risk.

Officials are working to make sure those women have access to insect repellent and good health advice.

The cycle starts with a person infected with Zika — presumably a traveler who recently returned home with the virus still lurking in his or her bloodstream.

More than 1,650 cases of Zika have been reported in U.S. states that were linked either with travel or having sex with a returned traveler, another way the virus can spread.

Zika can spread from an infected mother into her fetus' developing brain and kill its cells, resulting in babies being born with unusually small heads, called microcephaly.

Wear insect repellent; remove standing water around your home where mosquitoes can lay eggs; make sure windows and doors are properly screened; when outside in mosquito season, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent has long been advising pregnant women not to travel to Zika-affected parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Aside from sex, federal authorities have told blood centers in two Florida counties to suspend collections until they're able to screen donated blood for the Zika virus using authorized tests.

Health officials say there's no evidence that Zika can be spread through coughing or sneezing or routine touching.

Guillain-Barre can occur after a number of bacterial and viral infections, when people recover only to have their immune system attack certain nerve cells.