Surgeon general: 14 Zika cases in Florida, all travel related

The number of people with confirmed Zika virus in Florida has risen to 14 as of Friday, said state Surgeon General John Armstrong, who now will issue a “daily Zika update” at 2 p.m. “in an effort to keep Florida residents and visitors safe and aware,” according to an announcement from the Department of Health.

Armstrong’s daily updates follow executive actions from Gov. Rick Scott, who this week declared a public health emergency and called on the federal government to send more blood test kits for the mosquito-borne virus that poses the greatest threat to pregnant women and their unborn children.

All of the Zika cases in Florida are travel-related, and none involve pregnant women, the health department reported.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Zika symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and pink eye.

CDC researchers are examining a possible link between the virus and unborn babies exposed during pregnancy after clusters of a congenital birth defects followed Zika outbreaks in French Polynesia in 2014 and Brazil in 2015.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Surgeon general: 14 Zika cases in Florida, all travel related."