The New York Health Commissioner, Dr. Mary Bassett, has reported that more than half of the 233 cases reported of Zika virus in New York were detected in people who had received arrived from the Dominican Republic. With a population of around 600,000 Dominican immigrants, New York is actually the second largest Dominican city in the world and Dominicans make up the largest foreign immigrant group in the city. Dominicans are a highly mobile population, traveling frequently to their home country.
“Today, outreach teams from the Health Department and the Mayor’s Office fanned out across the city to raise awareness about the Zika virus in communities with strong ties to countries where the virus is currently circulating,” said the New York Health Commissioner. “Our main message today is that if you are pregnant or want to become pregnant, do not travel to a Zika-affected country. If your male partner can avoid travel, he should as well. If there is one year to reconsider a vacation to a Zika-affected country, this is that year.”
Basset said that the number of people affected with Zika is expected to rise as more people travel abroad for the summer, the peak travel period of the year.
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2016/pr050-16.page
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/31/nyregion/zika-precautions-for-summer-travel-the-focus-turns-to-safe-sex.html?_r=0
http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-05-16/zika-may-be-coming-to-new-york-city
