The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quickly issued a second travel advisory Friday afternoon, saying pregnant women should also avoid the designated area of Miami Beach.
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“This is the second area that has been identified as a location where local transmission is occurring and is just under 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers)”, he said.
Zika is linked to birth defects in unborn children of women infected with the virus, including a condition known as microcephaly that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads.
Scott says the county has begun an aggressive mosquito-eradication plan in Miami Beach.
“If we don’t protect ourselves, and we are infected with Zika virus, and a mosquito bites us, that can potentially increase the spread to the next person”, said Dr. Sujatha Ramamurthy, owner of Doctors2You in Fort Myers.
In a press conference, Florida Governor Rick Scott said state health officials had identified five cases of Zika believed to be contracted in Miami Beach.
“Forty-seven states in the USA now have Zika”.
As of August 17, 2016, 2,260 cases of Zika had been reported in the continental United States and Hawaii, including 529 in pregnant women.
The state now has two areas considered active zones for Zika transmission. “It’s hard but important that pregnant women make every effort to avoid mosquito bites and avoid going to areas where Zika is spreading”.
Scott says two of the Miami Beach cases involved Miami-Dade County residents, and three involved tourists from New York, Texas and Taiwan.
Florida now has 36 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus, according to the state department of health.
The virus’s apparent spread from a Miami neighborhood popular for day trips to the South Beach streets where many tourists sleep has rattled the tourism industry, even in the slower summer season.
“The biggest worry is Art Basel, which means a lot of money”, the mayor said of the worldwide art show in Miami that is scheduled in early December and saw 77,000 visitors a year ago.
He also called on the state health department to offer mosquito spraying to hotels, restaurants and attractions in Miami-Dade County at no cost.
In addition, the low-flying planes that have been spraying specialized insecticide over Wynwood can not do so over Miami Beach because of the high-rise buildings that front the Atlantic Ocean and often windy conditions.
California health officials on Friday urged travelers returning home from countries where Zika is spreading to continue to wear insect repellent and to practice safe sex for several more weeks, to help prevent the spread of the virus in the Golden State.
Health officials said couples should use condoms for at least eight weeks after travel.
“Between our efforts and the county’s spraying efforts the last thing I’d ever want to be is a mosquito on Miami Beach”, Levine said.
Of all the individuals with Zika, 68 are pregnant women.
So far, Florida is the only state in the mainland USA where it has been reported. However, they said a woman was diagnosed with the Zika Virus and is not suspected of being pregnant.
Health officials are especially concerned about pregnant women.
“We’re taking extra precautions”, said Yendi Alvarez, the show’s media coordinator.
“What’s containing it in Miami?” asked Gina Holiman of Fort Myers.
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Scott said Florida has requested more support from the CDC.
