There have been nine people in total who have been diagnosed with the Zika virus in Florida, though health officials believe that all of them contracted the disease while outside of the US.
Advertisement
One of the 2016 cases in D.C.is a pregnant woman, according to a spokesperson for the DC Department of Health.
The Zika virus, which is spreading through the Americas, has been linked to babies being born with underdeveloped brains.
In a briefing in Tampa, Scott asked the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to take action to make sure Florida can stay ahead of the possible spread of the Zika virus.
Brazil, where the first case appeared previous year, has been the worst-hit nation.
A pregnant woman is among the seven people identified as being infected with the Zika virus in Spain after visiting affected countries.
Now, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, is present in the San Gabriel Valley and eastern Los Angeles County.
The state Department of Health issued an advisory about the free testing to health care providers around the state on Thursday.
Last week, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and her US counterpart, Barack Obama, talked about jointly developing a vaccine against Zika.
The HSE said that while nearly all cases of Zika virus are acquired via mosquito bites, one case of sexual transmission of Zika virus has been reported internationally.
There are fears the mosquito-borne virus, linked to thousands of birth defects in Central and South America, could enter the state through its porous northern borders near Papua New Guinea.
Twenty cases have also been reported in Puerto Rico, a US territory.
The Zika virus has been found in over two dozen countries, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Advertisement
The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. For a list of countries visit the CDC’s Zika travel information page.
