More local Zika infections crop up in Miami-Dade, state reports

Mosquito-borne Zika continues to crop up in Miami-Dade County outside of the identified zones in Wynwood and Miami Beach, according to health officials, who on Tuesday reported six more local infections to Floridians — and for the first time also disclosed the number of locally acquired cases that involve out-of-state residents.

 

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Four of the six new local infections to Floridians occurred in the 1.5-square-mile area in Miami Beach where the disease has been spreading. The fifth is associated with the transmission zone in Wynwood, though the individual in that case was symptomatic in “early August,” the Florida Department of Health reported.

The sixth case occurred outside of those two areas, and the health department said it is investigating where that person was exposed to the virus. That brings to 13 the number of investigations into local Zika infections in Miami-Dade outside of Wynwood and Miami Beach. Investigations include testing and interviews of close contacts to determine whether the disease is spreading.

The state is also investigating three cases of local Zika infections elsewhere in Florida: two in Palm Beach County and one in Pinellas County.

On Tuesday, the state health department added a new category to its daily Zika report: local infections to out-of-state residents. There have been nine this year, health officials said.

The health department had not previously disclosed those cases in its daily tally. A Sept. 10 report in the Miami Herald revealed that state officials had been under-reporting the number of local Zika infections in Florida by excluding out-of-state residents.

In total, 70 residents and nine visitors have acquired Zika from mosquitoes in Florida, which remains the only state in the nation with local spread of the disease.

In addition, the health department on Tuesday reported 13 new travel-related cases, including eight in Miami-Dade, one in Escambia, one in Hillsborough, one in Manatee, one in Monroe and one in Seminole counties.

A total of 720 travel-related Zika infections have been confirmed in Florida this year, including 86 pregnant women, who are at greatest risk from the disease because the virus can cause severe birth defects in newborns.

This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 7:05 PM with the headline "More local Zika infections crop up in Miami-Dade, state reports."