“No new cases of locally transmitted Zika have been reported in the Wynwood-designated area since early August”, said the CDC in a statement.
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“The message with Wynwood is it was a huge success, ‘” said Dr. Lyle Petersen of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the Florida Health Department, some 660 people, including 86 pregnant women, contracted the virus while traveling outside the country, USA Today reports.
Larviciding and other mosquito control efforts are already under way and will continue through the Miami-Dade Mosquito Control District, officials said. An arts district north of downtown Miami, Wynwood became the first area in the continental United States with mosquito transmissions of the virus that can cause awful birth defects.
The original travel warnings were issued following the confirmation that Miami was the first city in the United States to have a case of the Zika virus transmitted locally by mosquitoes.
But Scott’s visit comes just days after authorities expanded a local transmission area in nearby Miami Beach. A woman from Brooklyn who has been living and working on Miami Beach since August 5 contacted the Herald to report that she had contracted Zika in Florida, and that the state had been unaware of her case even though she tested positive at a commercial lab, which sent her results to New York’s health department. He met with top Republicans this week on Zika funding from Washington, but he said Friday that Florida “cannot wait on federal action any longer”. “The aerial spraying will continue as planned only for Eighth to 28th Street in the South Beach area”.
During an afternoon conference call between Miami Beach and county officials Friday, some local hotels reported their business has taken a serious hit in the past month.
Gimenez has faced fierce criticism from some Beach residents and his reelection challenger, school board member Raquel Regalado, over the aerial spraying.
Another early morning spraying was done Sunday and a fourth is scheduled for next Saturday.
The report also warns that “the number of cases are likely underestimated because most symptomatic Zika virus infections are mild, and infected persons might not seek health care or be tested”.
Zika is particularly unsafe to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects.
“We could see additional cases”, said Frieden.
“I was in Walgreens yesterday, they’ve got all sorts of signs up about the sprays and the bands, I think they’ve got as well”, Sonny Coleman said.
Scott announced the state is hosting “Dine Out Wynwood” on September 30 to “celebrate and show our support for local businesses in this area”.
“It’s a great day in Wynwood”.
Alina Hudak, deputy mayor of Miami-Dade County, also said the aerial spraying protocol needs to run its course.
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According to the CDC, a pregnant woman infected with Zika can pass the virus on to her fetus during pregnancy or during delivery. He couldn’t estimate how much Zika had impacted his business, but he questioned whether the response to the outbreak was proportionate to the risk.
