Gov. Rick Scott was here for roundtable discussions with local leaders in Pinellas and Pasco counties when Florida Surgeon General Dr.
Advertisement
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) is investigating whether the Pinellas County resident was infected while visiting a neighbouring county, he added.
“Wynwood, the first neighborhood with cases of locally transmitted Zika, has experienced a dramatic decrease in business, and the cases in Miami Beach, a top tourist destination in the state of Florida, will no doubt have similar negative impacts on our economy”, Curbelo said.
The five new findings bring the total number of local transmission cases in Florida to 42 since the outbreak began earlier this summer.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week urged pregnant women to avoid areas of Miami Beach and Wynwood where mosquitoes are believed to be spreading the virus, which can cause birth defects.
One case doesn’t technically make for an outbreak, but if a person was infected and has had no contact with a traveler from an affected area, it strongly suggests mosquitoes locally are infected and can spread the virus.
In four out of five cases, those who are infected show no symptoms.
The Florida Department of Health has begun door-to-door outreach and sampling in Pinellas County.
The researchers report that the Zika virus appears to be most severe when it is transmitted by the mother to her fetus during the first trimester of pregnancy. He said the individual had not traveled internationally. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus now spreading throughout Latin America. The pellets kill mosquito larvae for up to 30 days. Local officials said they believe ground-level efforts will be most effective against the type of mosquito that transmits Zika, which can breed in small containers. However, no Aedes mosquito has ever been found with those diseases in San Diego County, county officials said. While chemical droplets may get close to the mosquito habitat, there is no way to know that every possible breeding spot has been reached through a diffuse, overhead approach. More details will be announced when the Pinellas County investigation concludes.
Krueger said there is no “magic bullet” for eradicating Aedes aegypti.
Advertisement
Zika presents the most risk for pregnant women or couples planning on having kids.
