South Beach has been identified as a second site of Zika transmission by mosquitoes on the USA mainland.
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Florida officials said on Friday (August 19) they have identified a new area of Zika virus transmission through local mosquitoes in a small area in Miami Beach, the second area in Miami-Dade county where the Zika virus is spreading.
Earlier this week, U.S. health officials declared a public health state of emergency in Puerto Rico where the number of Zika virus infections have doubled to more than 10,000 in the past three months. It is hard to predict how long active transmission will continue.
This came as Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced the confirmation of five cases of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes in Miami Beach.
Transmission of the virus via mosquito has been confirmed in two sites in Miami-Dade County, but Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine said in a news conference Friday he is confident in the city’s efforts to combat it. City workers are trying to get rid of standing water and foliage that might attract the insects, while the county begins a fumigation program to kill the bugs.
In reporting a new area of ongoing transmission in Miami Beach, Scott identified the people who had contracted the disease as two Miami-Dade residents, and three tourists from New York, Texas and Taiwan.
“There is no epidemic, no outbreak of Zika in Miami Beach”, he said, shortly after arriving from a trip to NY late Thursday. He described the area on the narrow island city as just under 1.5 miles between 8th and 28th streets.
Zika, which has extended through a large part of Latin America and the Caribbean, can cause pregnant women to have babies with microcephalic deformity and neurological problems. The virus only causes mild, flu-like symptoms in most people, making it hard to confirm local transmissions, the CDC said. Pregnant couples also “might consider” staying out of Miami-Dade County altogether until further notice, the CDC said.
Florida had last month announced its first case of local transmission.
Zika – often spread by mosquitoes – can cause severe birth defects. 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.
Florida now has 36 cases of people infected by the virus locally. “Additional lab support personnel will help us expedite Zika testing and additional 10,000 Zika prevention kits”, Scott detailed his CDC request.
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Susan Hassig, a clinical associate professor of epidemiology at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, said travelers need to be more aware that they could spread Zika and take precautions. However, they said a woman was diagnosed with the Zika Virus and is not suspected of being pregnant.
