Breaking: Florida Investigates Possible First Case Of Local Zika Virus

The Aedes Aegypti and Aedes Albopictus mosquitoes can transmit Zika and other tropical diseases.


The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Florida Department of Health are investigating a possible case of Zika virus caught locally in Florida, officials confirmed late Tuesday.
The possible case is in Miami-Dade County, which has seen the most travel acquired cases in the state. The Florida Department of Health said kits with mosquito repellent will be available for pregnant women to pickup in Miami-Dade county. Mosquito Control has “already conducted reduction and prevention activities in the area of investigation.”
Florida has seen more than more than 320 cases of Zika virus, but all have so far been caught while traveling. Florida has 43 pregnant women who have caught the virus, including one woman who gave birth to a baby with microcephaly, or an under-developed brain, as a result.
The Obama administration’s request for $1.9 billion dollars in emergency Zika funding has been stalled in Congress.
WMFE is a partner with Health News Florida, a statewide collaborative reporting on health care.
Health reporting on WMFE is supported in part by AdventHealth.
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