(CN) — A Miami neighborhood which saw the first locally transmitted Zika cases in the United States has been declared free of the virus, while a nearby area continues to struggle to contain the spread of the virus.
Wynwood, a neighborhood in North Miami, has been ruled Zika-free after aggressive aerial and ground insecticide spraying. There haven't been any new infections over the past 45 days.
"We've reached this point because of the tremendous progress with mosquito control in the affected area," Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement Monday. "Still, we encourage people not to let down their guard. We could see additional cases."
The CDC issued a travel advisory Aug. 1 that advised pregnant women to avoid travel to the part of Wynwood experiencing local transmission of Zika. The advisory marked the first time in the CDC's 70-year history that the agency recommended against travel within the continental United States.
While the Wynwood neighborhood appears to be safe, the CDC still recommends that pregnant women avoid nonessential travel to Miami-Dade County.
Five new cases were reported in Miami Beach on Friday, which led federal health officials to expand an area under advisory from 1.5 square miles to 4.5 square miles. The cluster of cases popped up north of some earlier reports.
Federal and state officials credit the spraying of insecticides with the reduction of mosquitoes and the lack of new cases in Wynwood.
Some members of the Miami Beach City Council and local residents have expressed concern over such spraying, citing potential health issues and the deaths of millions of bees in South Carolina after the state sprayed insecticide in Dorchester County.
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