Officials: Zika Virus Not A Concern For Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With summer around the corner, many people are starting to wonder if Zika virus will become a problem in Minnesota. The state's top health officials say no.
At a public health roundtable Friday afternoon, local health leaders discussed the coordinated response to Zika.
More than 1,200 cases have been confirmed in the U.S. Zika can cause a range of birth defects.
Just this week, the U.S. Senate approved $1 billion in emergency funding to help stop the spread of Zika and respond to the outbreak of the virus.
"Sixty percent of Americans live in areas that could well be infected with the Zika virus. We already have 14 cases in Minnesota, albeit people got it in other parts of the country, but our state is not immune to this," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Dr. Michael Osterholm from the University of Minnesota says the type of mosquitoes that live in Minnesota don't transmit that specific virus.
