WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States has deactivated its emergency response for the Zika virus to transition efforts to normal program operations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Friday.
"Deactivation does not mean that the threat of Zika has lessened in importance or that people are no longer at risk of infection," the CDC said in a statement.
"Zika continues to be a public health threat in the United States and internationally," it said.
The CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center on Jan. 22, 2016 in response to the devastating effects of Zika infection during pregnancy.
A team of experts called the Zika Coordination and Operations Transition Team will lead the transition to routine, long-term activities, the agency said.
The CDC cautioned that the continental United States and Hawaii will continue to see some travel-related cases as travelers visit countries and territories with risk of Zika transmission.
"The possibility of local transmission in the continental United States and Hawaii still exists," it said.
In addition, the CDC continued to recommend travelers to areas with a risk of Zika take steps to prevent Zika by preventing mosquito bites and sexual transmission of Zika during and after travel.
The U.S. agency also continued to recommend that pregnant women avoid travel to areas with risk of Zika.
Zika is mainly transmitted via the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes but also can be transmitted sexually. Zika causes mild disease in most adults but can cause brain damage and death in fetuses.
Currently, there is no licensed vaccine to prevent disease caused by Zika infection.
