Are YOU safe?: Zika spreads across the U.S.

'We knew it was only a mater of time...'

The first confirmed case of the Zika virus has been discovered in Alabama, making it the 20th U.S. state to be affected by the dangerous disease.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to Daily Mail, Dr. Tom Miller, Alabama's acting state health officer, explained that Zika was expected to reach Alabama.

"We knew it was only a matter of time before we would have the first positive case of an individual in Alabama with Zika virus," he admitted. "Given the frequency of international travel to affected areas, we anticipate having additional positive cases. We are working with the medical community to identify high-risk individuals."

The affected states, so far, include Hawaii, Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Florida, Texas, California and New York.

The worst affected areas are Florida, with 14 confirmed Zika cases, Texas with 11, California with six and New York, which has five people infected.

There are a total of 59 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in the United States, all of which were brought in by people who were infected abroad.

Luckily, there have been no cases in which the virus has been spread by mosquitoes in the U.S., but experts convening at the American Mosquito Control Association's annual conference warned that Zika-carrying mosquitoes breed in standing water both inside and outside houses.

Though there have been no reported cases of contracting Zika through mosquitoes in the United States, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Remember to keep screens covering all open doors and windows, wear mosquito repellent when going out, avoid standing water and keep pools properly chlorinated.

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