NEWS RELEASE / GOV. SCOTT: FOLLOWING TWO NEW ZIKA CASES IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, COMMERCIAL COMPANIES TO ASSIST WITH MOSQUITO CONTROL
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed that two additional individuals have the Zika virus in Miami-Dade County. Both of these cases are local transmissions through mosquito bites and brings the total number of local transmissions of Zika to 30 in Florida. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has tested more than 25,000 mosquitos for Zika in Florida and none have come back positive.
Governor Rick Scott said, “While we have learned there are two new individuals that contracted the Zika virus through mosquito bites in our state, we still believe local transmissions are only occurring in an area that is less than one square mile in Wynwood. I have stayed in constant communication with Mayor Carlos Gimenez of Miami-Dade County to ensure the county has all of the resources they need. The Department of Health has been fulfilling requests for Miami-Dade County since June, and they are expediting the county’s additional request made on Friday for funding for additional staff and mosquito traps. DOH will continue to review and fulfill any necessary requests the county may need for mosquito control to continue fighting Zika. DOH has also coordinated mosquito control experts from around the state to provide guidance to Miami-Dade County on best practices for mosquito control. Today, to ensure the county has every possible tool to fight Zika, DOH will be sending in additional commercial pest control companies to assist with local mosquito control efforts in Miami-Dade County.”
At this time, DOH is investigating four areas in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties where local transmissions of Zika may have occurred (three locations in Miami-Dade and one in Palm Beach). However, DOH still believes active transmissions are still only occurring in the area that is less than one square mile in Wynwood. DOH has closed out the investigations into the first cases in Miami-Dade and Broward counties which were announced on July 29th. DOH tested 124 close contacts and individuals from the community and found no additional positive cases of Zika in those areas.
