They are the first areas on the US mainland where health officials determined mosquitoes were transmitting Zika.
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“We’re taking extra precautions”, said Yendi Alvarez, the show’s media co-ordinator.
All 14 cases are thought to have occurred in Miami’s Wynwood arts district, a trendy, fast-gentrifying neighborhood of warehouses, art galleries, restaurants and boutiques. “He cited an inter office email that no Zika cases will effect their already established cancellation policy”.
Concerns about the mosquito-borne virus did not keep crowds away from Lincoln Road Mall this weekend.
Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada said in a statement Friday that the transmission of Zika in Miami Beach was the most alarming development yet, and the threat to the country’s health and economy has never been greater. “Pregnant women should avoid travel to the designated area of Miami Beach, in addition to the designated area of Wynwood, because active local transmission of Zika has been confirmed”, VDV Director Dr. Tom Frieden said on a conference call.
If you live in an area that you are concerned is at risk to the Zika virus, take steps to protect yourself and your children. Indeed, New York, where no mosquito bite transmission has been reported, has a nation-leading 579 cases.
Florida Governor Rick Scott announced the new site of Zika transmission this morning.
Officials believe the virus is only spreading in a 1 1/2 mile part of Miami Beach, but that area includes the much-visited South Beach area, Scott said.
As of August 17, 2016, 2,260 cases of Zika had been reported in the continental United States and Hawaii, including 529 in pregnant women. Officials from Florida participated in all these activities, and their experience in responding to mosquito-borne diseases similar to Zika has been an important source of knowledge in this effort.
The virus, first discovered in Africa, has been linked to thousands of birth defects in newborn babies like abnormally small heads and improperly developed brains in Brazil. Fortunately, the virus isn’t any more risky for kids than adults, and for most people who get it the symptoms are mild. “Residents, businesses and visitors must all do their part to reduce local transmissions”.
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Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said doctors and hospitals are on high alert for patients who present symptoms and travel histories that are consistent with the virus. In addition, the area’s large crowds mean more people are likely to be exposed, and few in the tourist-heavy beach community are likely to follow recommendations to wear long sleeves and trousers, Frieden said.
