Health officials have identified a new case of locally acquired Zika in an individual who was exposed to the virus in Miami-Dade County where active mosquito-borne Zika transmission was previously identified, according to an update from the Florida Health Department.
The infected individual was reportedly screened for the virus in February. The CDC confirmed the infection and noted the individual was likely infected in 2016. However, the infected party was asymptomatic, making it difficult to establish a more exact timeframe for the acquired infection. The newly identified infection marks the second locally acquired Zika case reported in Florida in 2017.
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While the last zone of active, local Zika transmission was lifted in Miami on Dec. 9, 2016, infectious disease experts expect the virus to resurface as temperatures rise and weather conditions become more habitable for the area's mosquito population, according to the Miami Herald.
In 2016, Florida recorded 1,097 travel-associated Zika cases, 282 locally acquired cases and 41 undetermined cases. Of the 1,420 cases reported, 287 pregnant women displayed laboratory evidence of Zika.
Contracting Zika during pregnancy is known to increase the risk of birth defects in newborns. Zika is most notably linked with the neurologically debilitating birth defect microcephaly, which causes infants to be born with abnormally small heads.
More articles on the Zika virus:
WHO: Zika is still a threat
Donated sperm in Miami area could be contaminated with Zika: 5 things to know
CDC issues Zika travel guidance for 4 more nations