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Mosquitoes Test Positive for Zika in Miami Beach

September 1, 2016 - 2:45pm

Mosquitoes trapped in South Beach have tested positive for the Zika virus, a worrying development in Florida’s fight against the virus sweeping the state.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services made the announcement Friday. It is the first sample of mosquitoes which have tested positive for the virus.

“This find is disappointing, but not surprising,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam. “Florida is among the best in the nation when it comes to mosquito surveillance and control, and this detection enables us to continue to effectively target our resources. Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami Beach, and state and federal partners will continue to work aggressively to prevent the spread of Zika.”

Before the announcement, the Florida Department of Health had ruled out other modes of local transmission like travel-related transmission and sexual transmission.

The samples were found in the 1.5 mile radius in the Miami Beach area, which was the first area to have active transmissions in the state. 

Zika has made the most significant impact in the Miami-Dade area, where local transmissions started occurring in July. The transmissions initially began in the Wynwood area and then spread to Miami Beach. The Miami area still has the highest number of local infections, but the virus has been found in other parts of Florida as well. 

Since February, the virus has spread throughout the state, with new cases emerging in Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. 

The Zika virus is not particularly harmful, but can cause Dengue fever-like symptoms in the infected. The virus is, however, especially problematic for pregnant women, since it can cause birth defects and microcephaly in fetuses.

The virus can also cause Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an uncommon sickness where the immune system attacks the nerves in the body. The syndrome can cause temporary paralysis and can affect the muscles of the body that control breathing. 

The number of cases of Guillain-Barré has soared in countries hit heavily by the Zika virus, catapulting the number of cases by as much as 877 percent. 

Florida had tested more than 2,400 mosquito samples, which included more than 40,000 mosquitoes, since May. Officials said three mosquitoes tested positive for the virus, but 95 percent more of the trapped mosquitoes have tested negative for the virus since beginning testing. 

Gov. Rick Scott has been heavily involved in state prevention and preparedness for the Zika virus, traveling to Miami many times over the last few months. The governor allocated $26 million to address Zika prevention and to test pregnant women worried they might be infected with the virus. 

Additionally, Scott has pushed for mosquito spraying in Miami Dade to help combat the virus. 

More alarming, the director of the Centers for Disease Control said Tuesday the funds to fight the Zika virus have been nearly spent, which means there will be no funding to fight the virus if Congress doesn’t come up with a solution. As of last week, the CDC had spent $194 million of the $222 million allocated to fight the virus. 

“The cupboard is bare, there’s no way to provide that,” said CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden. 

The governor will head to Washington, D.C. when Congress reconvenes and demand federal money for fighting the virus. Congress was unable to reach an agreement over additional funding for the Zika preparedness package before leaving for recess this summer. 

 

Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.

 

 

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