Zika Virus Found In Mosquitos For First Time In US
/Marking an official first for the continental United States, authorities in Florida have found the Zika virus in trapped mosquitoes found within a 1.5 square mile area of Miami Beach, according to the LA Times. The find, although not a surprise since dozens of non-travel related cases have popped up in the area this summer, will help mosquito controllers target their efforts now that the insects have been confirmed as the source of transmission. To start their efforts Miami-Dade County’s Mosquito Control team will be conducting inspections to reduce mosquito breeding and will be spraying the eighth of a mile radius around the location where the infected insects were caught.
The US Center for disease control likens the find to a needle in a haystack but are confident in Florida’s capabilities to control the mosquito populations like they have previously done during outbreaks of dengue fever and Chikungunya. Florida Governor Rick Scott has announced according to ABC News that the number of locally transmitted Zika cases have risen to 14.