CDC officials expect more cases to pop up soon.
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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.
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.
While the formal travel advisory for pregnant women is limited to two active transmission zones, pregnant women and their partners “may also consider postponing non-essential travel to all parts of Miami-Dade County”, CDC chief Tom Frieden told reporters.
He confirmed that state health officials had identified five new cases believed to have been contracted in Miami Beach.
Florida now has 36 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus, according to the State Department of Health.
Lawton said the money would be used to purchase extra chemicals and equipment, such as hand foggers, backpack foggers and thermal foggers, to better equip technicians in the field.
Pinellas County is pleased to leverage local and state resources in our fight against Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases, said Brian Lawton, coordination of the countys mosquito control program. Pregnant women should stay out of these areas if they possibly can.
The suspected Zika virus zone in Miami Beach involved about 1.5 square miles from 8th to 28th Streets in the main tourist area.
Florida state health officials were not immediately available to comment on the report.
Frieden said the CDC already has sent Florida 10,000 cans of mosquito repellent, which is included in a Zika prevention kit along with bed netting and other materials.
In addition, 12 military dependents have been diagnosed with Zika, an increase of five cases over the seven among military dependents reported earlier this month.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has for a CDC emergency team to help Florida combat Zika, which has been sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean in recent months and now may be gaining a long-dreaded foothold in the U.S. The White House said a team will be sent quickly. First, the large number of highrise buildings make it impossible to aerial spray the area for mosquito removal. The prospect of it spreading more widely to the tourism-dependent Miami Beach area is liable to further elevate concerns.
Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic minority leader, said the transmission of Zika in Miami Beach “is the most alarming development yet in the rapidly growing threat of Zika in the United States”.
All of the cases among military personnel and dependents were “travel related”, meaning that the virus was not contracted within the continental US since testing began earlier this year, the spokesman said.
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Information for this article was contributed by Joey Flechas and Amy Driscoll of The Associated Press.
