Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Wednesday, April 17, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Florida Investigating|Zika Case Outside Miami

(CN) — A new case of Zika virus infection has been reported outside of Miami, in a person who recently traveled to the Miami area, the Florida Department of Health said Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a rare travel warning for Wynwood — a neighborhood in North Miami — after 16 confirmed cases of local transmission of the Zika virus were reported.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said state health officials believe active transmission is contained to one square mile of Wynwood.

"Today, DOH has announced that they are investigating one new individual with non-travel related Zika in Palm Beach County. While this investigation is ongoing, DOH still believes active transmissions are only taking place within the identified area that is less than one-square mile in Miami-Dade County," Scott said.

Scott said the state is sending mosquito repellent to school districts in affected and nearby counties, and state and federal health officials are continuing to spray mosquitoes around Wynwood.

On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved field testing of genetically modified mosquitoes, which mate with potential Zika carriers — primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito — and transmit a deadly artificial gene to their offspring.

The CDC has decided not to expand the travel advisory to all of Miami-Dade County, despite some groups calling the current warning insufficient.

The travel warning is particularly focused on pregnant women or women who are trying to become pregnant, due to Zika's connection to microcephaly — a congenital disorder that results in a smaller head size and potential brain damage in infants.

"We've been asked, 'Why not all of Miami?'" CDC Director Tom Frieden said during a visit there last week. "There's no evidence that there's any Zika spreading anywhere else in Miami."

Follow @SeanDuffyCNS
Categories / Uncategorized

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Loading...