Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine said more federal resources are needed to combat the spread of the Zika virus in South Florida.
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Health risks aside, there is also the $11 billion Miami Beach tourism industry that has already seen visitor cancellations.
Organizers for Art Basel Miami Beach and other upcoming events cautiously expressed confidence in the region’s mosquito control efforts.
“We need to come together as one”, said Levine. “This wasn’t even a thought past year”.
Health officials are still investigating an unusual case of Zika in Salt Lake County in which an elderly man’s son contracted the virus.
Most Zika victims exhibit mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, Haley said. Fauci also said that Louisiana is more susceptible due to the recent flooding.
“Even if someone doesn’t feel sick, travelers returning to the United States from an area with Zika virus should take steps to prevent mosquito bites for three weeks, such as using insect repellant with DEET and removing breeding areas from around homes”, health department spokeswoman Charla Haley said in a prepared statement.
Florida is the only USA state with Zika cases linked to local mosquitos, and a total of 36 cases have been identified so far.
Monday, children headed back to school in Miami-Dade county, despite growing concerns over the Zika virus.
The discovery prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to announce that it was expanding its travel warning for pregnant women to include the area known for nightclubs, pedestrian thoroughfares and beaches. “That would not surprise us because the conditions are there for that to happen”.
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Aerial spraying and door-to-door operations on the ground have cut mosquito populations in Wynwood by up to 90 percent, but Zika may be continuing as mosquitoes breed, said CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden.
