6 new Zika cases confirmed in Florida

TALLHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Surgeon General’s Office reported Thursday that six new cases of Zika virus infections have been confirmed in the state.

Three of the infections were found in Miami-Dade County, two in Osceola and one in Broward.

The new cases of Zika infection bring the state’s total to 58, which includes four pregnant woman.

The announcement comes a day after Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced the first case of person-to-person Zika transmission in the state.

The infection was transmitted sexually from an individual who traveled out of the U.S., Scott said in a release.

The state has been taking steps to stem the spread of the Zika virus by working to control mosquito populations that can transmit the virus.

Numerous warnings have also been made to people who have traveled to countries where the Zika virus is spreading, to keep it from gaining a foothold state-side.

The Zika virus discovered in 1947 and is named after the Zika forest in Uganda, according to the CDC.

Since then, Zika outbreaks have been reported in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain or conjunctivitis, the CDC reported.

The illness is usually mild, with symptoms lasting several days to a week, and people rarely die from the disease, the CDC said.

Zika infections in pregnant women have been linked to birth defects in babies, including microcephaly, which is a condition in which a baby’s head is significantly smaller than normal.

For more information on the Zika virus, visit the WFTV Zika page.

Cox Media Group