The Florida Department of Health is now investigating potential local Zika transmission in Pinellas County. The investigation was spurred by the detection of a Zika case not related to international travel in a county resident.
In addition to the Pinellas County case, state health officials have added four locally acquired Zika cases to the state's ongoing tally. These four cases were detected in the Miami neighborhood of Wynwood, where the nation's first cases of locally acquired Zika were previously identified. The total number of Zika cases not associated with travel in the state is now 42.
"Today [Aug. 23], we learned that the Florida Department of Health is investigating one new individual with non-travel related Zika in Pinellas County," said Florida Gov. Rick Scott. "While this investigation is ongoing, DOH still believes that ongoing active transmissions are only occurring in the two previously identified areas in Wynwood and Miami Beach."
Gov. Scott also said the aggressive mosquito control measures taken by the state in the Wynwood neighborhood have successfully reduced the area of potential Zika exposure. Aggressive spraying and mosquito abatement efforts have already begun in Pinellas County.
Recently, the CDC reported aerial spraying — a tactic deployed in Wynwood — would not be conducive to mosquito control in Miami Beach due to the high-rise buildings and strong winds.
The state is offering free Zika tests and Zika prevention kits to pregnant women whose fetuses are vulnerable to the infection, which can cause debilitating birth defects, most notably microcephaly.
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