First local mosquitoes infected with Zika found in Miami Beach
- 8 years ago
MIAMI BEACH — Officials finally have conclusive proof that insects in the continental U.S. are carrying Zika, after infected mosquitoes were found in Florida.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced in a press release on Thursday that three mosquito samples taken from a 1.5 square mile affected area in Miami Beach had tested positive for the Zika virus.
Miami Beach is one of two Zika-affected areas in Miami-Dade County, the other being Wynwood, which first reported infections in July. According to the Florida Department of Health, 49 locally-transmitted Zika cases have been confirmed in the state thus far, while 576 others contracted infections while traveling outside the state. Another 80 cases involved pregnant women.
Only one in five infected people show no symptoms, which include rashes, joint pain, fever, and red eyes. The virus has more often been linked with birth defects like microcephaly in babies.
The new discovery has state authorities stepping up Zika prevention efforts, with Governor Rick Scott pushing for aerial spraying in the area.
But with Hurricane Hermine blowing through Florida, not only will measures be delayed, the aftermath will most likely create more enhanced breeding grounds for the mosquitoes, reports Reuters.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced in a press release on Thursday that three mosquito samples taken from a 1.5 square mile affected area in Miami Beach had tested positive for the Zika virus.
Miami Beach is one of two Zika-affected areas in Miami-Dade County, the other being Wynwood, which first reported infections in July. According to the Florida Department of Health, 49 locally-transmitted Zika cases have been confirmed in the state thus far, while 576 others contracted infections while traveling outside the state. Another 80 cases involved pregnant women.
Only one in five infected people show no symptoms, which include rashes, joint pain, fever, and red eyes. The virus has more often been linked with birth defects like microcephaly in babies.
The new discovery has state authorities stepping up Zika prevention efforts, with Governor Rick Scott pushing for aerial spraying in the area.
But with Hurricane Hermine blowing through Florida, not only will measures be delayed, the aftermath will most likely create more enhanced breeding grounds for the mosquitoes, reports Reuters.