US President Barack Obama on Wednesday phoned the governor of Florida about a case of Zika virus that officials suspect was transmitted by a mosquito locally in the US south-eastern state, according to dpa. Obama spoke with Florida Governor Rick Scott about the state's response to the case and offered federal support and technical assistance in its investigation and in Florida's mosquito control efforts. The suspected Zika virus case was announced Tuesday by the Florida Department of Health. If confirmed, it would be the first documented Zika infection caused by a mosquito in the continental United States, the White House said in a statement. All cases reported in the US up to now have been in people who traveled to Zika-affected regions or in the sexual partners of people who traveled to those regions. The Zika virus causes relatively minor symptoms in healthy people, but is dangerous for pregnant women because it can lead to severe birth defects in their babies. Obama noted that in addition to the 2 million dollars that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided to Florida for Zika preparedness, CDC is anticipating it will award Florida 5.6 million dollars in Zika funding through a grant to be awarded this week. The US has been expecting outbreaks of Zika virus in southern states such as Florida, Louisiana and Texas. These states are home to the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that most commonly transmit the virus.
