ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Florida Gov. Rick Scott said the state has seen its first cases of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes on the U.S. mainland.
Scott said Friday that no mosquitoes in the state have tested positive for Zika. But he said one woman and three men in Miami-Dade and Broward counties likely contracted the virus through mosquito bites.
More than 1,650 Zika infections have been reported in the U.S., but the four patients in Florida would be the first not linked to travel outside the U.S. mainland.
Scott said health officials believe the infections occurred in a small area just north of downtown Miami.
"This is not just a Florida issue. It's a national issue — we just happen to be at the forefront," Scott said. "Here in Orange County and in Central Florida, there are no active investigations into local transmissions."
Federal health officials have not recommended that pregnant women avoid travel to South Florida.
"There are a series of factors we'll have to look at. The number of cases, the relationship in geography of those cases, how closely linked they are in time, as well as a series of other factors that we will use to determine what recommendations we issue in terms of travel guidance," U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said Thursday.
Zika primarily spreads through bites from tropical mosquitoes. There is no vaccine.
Health officials warned that it was only a matter of time before the virus was transmitted within the state, and they're trying to stop the spread.
Florida has more than 300 non-travel related cases, and there’s still a chance that a mosquito elsewhere could bite someone who’s sick.
“We’ve seen many types of mosquito borne viruses imported to our state, and we’ve been successful in limiting local transmission to small numbers,” said Florida Surgeon General Celeste Philip.
But Zika is different, because it can cause birth defects in babies.
“I am directing the Department of Health to immediately begin contracting with commercial pest control companies to increase spraying and mosquito baitment efforts in the impacted area,” Scott said.
In most people, the virus causes only mild illness, but infection during pregnancy can lead to severe brain-related birth defects for the fetus.
The Health Department has tested thousands of people for Zika, and the state is spending more money to help with mosquito control and to test the blood supply.
For more information on the virus and infections, visit the WFTV Zika Page.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
