Local transmission of the Zika virus has occurred in Miami Beach, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Friday.
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The affected area of Miami Beach includes South Beach and stretches from the beach to the Intracoastal Waterway, from 8th Street to 28th Street.
Fourteen blocks of that area have since been “cleared”, with no transmission, and Scott said Friday that three additional blocks are now free of the virus.
He also called on the state department of health to offer mosquito spraying to hotels, restaurants and attractions in Miami-Dade County at no cost.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also issued a travel warning advising pregnant women to avoid Miami Beach.
Until now, the mosquito-borne infection has been primarily linked to microcephaly, a serious defect where babies are born with small heads and brain damage.
The New York Times also reported “a cluster” of Zika cases most likely transmitted by local mosquitoes in Miami Beach, citing an unnamed health official.
Pregnant women and their partners living in or who must travel to the designated areas should be aware of active Zika virus transmission and follow steps to prevent mosquito bites.
In February the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of worldwide concern” as evidence grew of Zika’s association with birth defects.
Researchers said that some healthy adults may be able to effectively fight off the disease with no long-term effects, but those with weakened-immune systems may be more vulnerable to the virus’ effects.
It may sound freaky, but researchers are planning just such a study – this winter, when mosquitoes aren’t biting – to help speed development of much-needed Zika vaccines.
There have been 24 travel-related cases of Zika in Arizona so far, state officials said. That brings the total number of Zika cases that have been spread by mosquitoes in Florida to 36.
“It is important to note that at this time the Department of Health has not confirmed any cases on Miami Beach, however we have been informed that cases are being investigated”.
She said investigations are ongoing in “areas in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties where local transmissions of Zika may have occurred”.
But the discussions on Thursday morning between the county health department and Miami Beach officials, along with an email from City Manager Jimmy Morales, indicate that Zika is spreading in Miami Beach and already may have met CDC guidelines for confirmed transmission of the disease.
“Once transmission begins, we may not discover it for several weeks”.
“We are anxious about a local mosquito biting that person, picking up the virus and then giving it to someone else the next time they feed”, Smith said.
And on Thursday, Puerto Rican health officials reported that 30 people have been diagnosed with a rare paralyzing condition that can be caused by Zika infection.
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The county will else mandate that all pregnant women throughout the county be tested at Ob/Gyn facilities, and increase fines for households that do not adhere to prevention standards set forth by the department. But people continue to generate new neurons in parts of the brain well into adulthood, so it’s possible Zika could attack that process in adults, according to the new research.
