Shortly after the governor’s announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new travel advisory for pregnant women that encompass all of Miami-Dade County.
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The spread of the Zika virus moved beyond the Miami hotzone where the first homegrown cases in the US emerged, with federal health officials issuing a travel advisory Friday recommending pregnant women avoid traveling to Miami-Dade County. But it will be more hard to contain the Zika outbreak in Miami Beach due to its high-rise buildings and aversion to long trousers and sleeves.
The new cases bring the total number of locally-transmitted cases in Miami-Dade County to 36.
The affected sections of Miami Beach include the very tourist-heavy South Beach, and a number of tourists, including at least one from NY, contracted the virus there. “In addition to the previously identified area in the Wynwood neighborhood, there is now mosquito-borne spread of Zika virus in a section of Miami Beach”.
This comes just three weeks after officials identified Miami’s Wynwood Art District as a transmission zone.
The virus, which has spread rapidly through the Americas since it was first detected in Brazil past year, can cause the rare birth defect microcephaly, marked by abnormally small heads and developmental problems.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, the CDC director, warned Friday that more cases of local Zika transmission are likely to emerge in the county.
MIAMI (AP) – The discovery of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in South Florida certainly isn’t ideal for tourism, but local officials and business leaders are confident the long-term impact on the tourism industry will be minor.
Celeste Philip, Florida’s surgeon general, said Friday that officials have not yet determined where those isolated cases contracted Zika.
Theme for the week of August 22, 2016: Moms-To-Be: Protect Your Pregnancy from Zika!
The new warnings represent a challenge to Florida’s multibillion dollar tourism industry, with Miami Beach accounting for almost half of visitor stays in the Greater Miami area.
Florida has confirmed 35 cases of local transmission of Zika.
While Frieden praised Florida’s health department for its efforts, Scott criticized the federal agency for being slow to respond to his repeated requests for additional resources, such as testing kits and prevention supplies for pregnant women.
Elsewhere, Texas health officials on Monday reported what appears to be the first case of Zika infection traveling across state lines.
The latest case came after the ninth confirmed case was reported late last month.
Those in the travel industry are hopeful the CDC and Florida health officials can keep the virus contained to that area in Miami, because if it spreads beyond that, they’re concerned the casual attitude of travelers today could change markedly.
Scott said his state is taking aggressive steps to fight the virus, but says his repeated calls for help are being ignored.
The Florida Department of Health in Lee County on Thursday announced the county’s eighth travel-related case. There have also been increased reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome, an uncommon sickness of the nervous system, in areas affected by Zika.
It’s hard but important that pregnant women make every effort to avoid mosquito bites and avoid going to areas where Zika is spreading.
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9 billion to fight Zika but Congressional efforts to approve part of the funding deadlocked before lawmakers adjourned for the summer. The CDC is tracking 529 pregnant women with the virus nationwide and almost 700 in those territories.
