Florida Governor Rick Scott said on Friday morning that officials believe it is likely that four Florida people infected with the Zika virus contracted it by mosquito bite.
Scott reported that they ruled out travel and sexual transmission as causes for the infection of four people, saying, “This morning we learned that four people in our state likely have the Zika virus as a result of a mosquito bite. This means that Florida has become the first state in our nation to have local transmission of the Zika virus,” he said at a news conference.
More than 1,600 people have been diagnosed with Zika in the United States, but most of them contracted the virus while traveling abroad. A small amount of people contracted the Zika virus through sexual transmission in the United States. About 80% of people do not experience any symptoms of the Zika virus, but symptoms can include fever, headache, red eyes, and a minor body rash.
In Florida, three men and one woman have been infected with the virus. Active transmission is currently only occurring about 1 square mile north of downtown Miami. People in the area are advised to contact their county health department if they would like to be tested. The state is testing the area looking for the Aedes species mosquitoes which carry the virus; the state is partnering with pest control companies to increase pesticide spraying.
In addition to these meausures, the Food and Drug Administration asked Thursday that blood centers in Miami-Dade and Broward counties stop collecting blood donations until each unit can be tested for the virus; this precaution is in place to avoid contaminated blood supply. The Florida Health Department has cautioned Florida citizens, especially pregnant women towards Zika awareness and prevention. The virus can cause birth defects, therefore pregnant women in Florida must take extra precautions.
Adam Putnam, Florida’s commissioner of agriculture, has expressed confidence that the virus will be contained, explaining that the presence of screens, air conditioning, and higher standards of living in the United States make it an unlikely candidate for a continual spread of the virus.
“We have a very sophisticated, mature control, surveillance and response program throughout the local governments.”
Governor Scott has put $26.2 million in emergency funding toward Zika virus prevention and control, adding on Friday that it is “disappointing” that Congress has not decided on federal emergency funding to control the virus.
“This is not just a Florida issue. It’s a national issue. We just happen to be at the forefront.”