Florida likely has the first cases of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes on the US mainland, the state's governor said today.
No mosquitoes in the state have tested positive for Zika, but one woman and three men in Miami-Dade and Broward counties likely contracted the virus through mosquito bites, Governor Rick Scott said during a news conference in Orlando.
More than 1,650 Zika infections have been reported in the US, but the four patients in Florida would be the first not linked to travel outside the US mainland.
"This is not just a Florida issue. It's a national issue we just happen to be at the forefront," Scott said.
Health officials believe the infections occurred in a small area just north of downtown Miami, in the popular Wynwood arts district, Scott said.
It's the only part of the state currently being tested for potential local transmissions of Zika, Scott said.
Women in the area who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant are urged to contact their doctors and the county health department for Zika prevention kits. Federal health officials have not recommended that pregnant women avoid travel to South Florida.
"There are a series of factors we'll have to look at. The number of cases, the relationship in geography of those cases, how closely linked they are in time, as well as a series of other factors that we will use to determine what recommendations we issue in terms of travel guidance," US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said on Thursday.
Zika primarily spreads through bites from tropical mosquitoes, but it also can be spread through sex. In most people, the virus causes only mild illness, but infection during pregnancy can lead to severe brain-related birth defects for the fetus. There is no vaccine.
Since February, over 380 Zika cases related to travel have been confirmed in Florida, including 151 cases in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
The tropical mosquito that spreads Zika and other viruses is found in the southern US while health officials have predicted that mosquitoes in the continental US would begin spreading Zika this summer, they also have said they expect only isolated clusters of infections and not widespread outbreaks.
Florida should be able to contain the virus to an isolated area because its neighbourhoods have better sanitation and living conditions than countries where Zika outbreaks have been widespread, said Adam Putnam, Florida's commissioner for agriculture and consumer services.
