Rick Scott, center, walks from Wynwood Walls after a news conference, Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami.
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Gov. Rick Scott on Monday declared victory over Zika in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, an announcement that drew both cheers and warnings from public health officials.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to ask pregnant women and their partners to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites if they travel to or live in Wynwood. He recommends that people traveling overseas avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes for 10 days after they return and said they should go to a doctor if they experience any of the common symptoms such as fever, rash, joint pain and red, itchy eyes. In a press release issued Monday, the agency upgraded Wynwood’s status to a “cautionary travel recommendation” area, like the rest of Miami-Dade County.
No new case of Zika has been found in the Wynwood area in the north of Miami for 45 days, so the up-and-coming arts and foodie district has been declared free of local transmission. In late July the neighborhood became the first place in the US mainland to have mosquitoes transmitting the virus to people.
But despite months of public outreach and aggressive mosquito control measures, including the removal of cylinder-shaped tropical plants that trap water where insects can breed, Florida health officials have continued to find Zika-carrying mosquitoes in Miami Beach, where some residents have objected to the aerial spraying of naled. The number of local cases, including some involving tourists, continue to grow there despite repeated aerial insecticide spraying, prompting state officials Friday to triple the size of that Zika zone to 4.5 square miles. “We need a bill passed out of Congress”. County officials are continuing to spray insectides over South Beach, and are using ground crews to tackle the northern portion of the city.
Pregnant women are still being told to be cautious in a part of Florida where the Zika virus was being spread by mosquitoes, but an advisory has been lifted. This decision came after five new cases of the mosquito-borne virus allegedly caused severe birth defects in the region.
The agency still advises pregnant women and their partners living or traveling in the area to take steps to prevent mosquito bites, and it still recommends that anyone who has traveled to the Wynwood area between June 15 and September 18 wait at least 8 weeks before trying to get pregnant.
The governor on Friday authorized spending an additional $10 million in state funds for Zika response. “We could see additional cases”. Those afflicted commonly have a fever or rash, red, itchy eyes, muscle pain and fatigue, if they show any symptoms at all.
CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden urged Miami residents “not to let down their guard”.
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The various leaders; Governor, Health, Agriculture and Tourism Departmental heads in Florida are not being heard in DC, where they appear to be dithering around with the Zika problem.
