Scott said Friday that the Florida Department of Health has concluded that four cases of the Zika virus likely came from mosquitoes in the Miami area.
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More than 1,650 people have been diagnosed with Zika in the U.S. Most of those cases were contracted while traveling to Zika infected areas.
The Department of Health said it also believes there is an active transmission of the Zika virus in one small area in Miami-Dade County, north of downtown.
Scott said people who live in the area and want to be tested for Zika should contact their local health department.
Blood banks in the area have also stopped collecting blood donations until measures are put in place to screen blood for Zika, the Florida Department of Health said.
Though these cases are being called likely local transmissions, no Florida mosquitoes have tested positive for Zika, Scott said, but DOH is testing “aggressively” to rule out other cases.
Florida has detected its first cases of locally-transmitted Zika which could pose a threat to the state’s sensitive – and important – tourist industry.
Investigators say the three women and a man hadn’t traveled to areas affected by Zika and had not had sex with someone infected with Zika. The vast majority of these were acquired overseas, but there are a few instances of the bug being transmitted through sexual contact on American soil.
“We know from our experience with successfully dealing with other mosquito-borne viruses in our state that through constant surveillance and immediate action that we will protect our families and visitors”, he said. “We have worked hard to stay ahead of the spread of Zika and prepare for the worst”.
Florida Governor Rick Scott issued a statement saying the state is committed to using resources to protect its citizens.
To date, there are 381 cases of the virus in Florida; 53 of them are pregnant women.
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These have become the first known cases in the United States of the virus being spread through mosquitoes. This is believed to be the first time the virus has been spread by mosquitoes within the continental United States. There is no cure of vaccine for the virus at the moment, but the sickness caused by Zika usually comes and goes in ways similar to a flu. Scott did not say whether the woman is pregnant.
