Five cases of locally acquired Zika cases have been linked to Miami Beach, Fla., which is outside of the original area health officials believed local transmission was limited to in Florida.
Previously, local transmission was believed to be limited to the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami. But Friday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said, "The Florida Department of Health has confirmed a second location in Miami-Dade County where it is believed active Zika transmission is occurring."
The new location is less than 1.5 square miles in Miami Beach, the governor said (see map).
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While the new location could be seen as a setback, Gov. Scott also noted the state department of health has been continually reducing the active transmission zone in Wynwood. "The ability to continue reducing that area where we believe local transmission is occurring shows that our efforts to aggressively spray for mosquitoes and educate the public are working," he said.
Florida is reaching out to the CDC and the federal government for continued help in containing the zone of active Zika transmission. Gov. Scott has asked for the following:
- 5,000 more Zika antibody test kits
- Additional lab support personnel to speed the testing process
- 10,000 more Zika prevention kits
- A detailed plan from the Obama administration on how Florida can work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on receiving federal resources
According to the most recent numbers from the CDC, more than 2,200 people in the United States have Zika, and 529 of them are pregnant women.