Miami Beach also seeing locally transmitted Zika cases

Health officials said today that Zika virus is being locally transmitted in an area of Miami Beach — the second location in South Florida where people are believed to be getting the disease from mosquitoes.

The CDC advised pregnant women to avoid the section of Miami Beach between 8th and 28th streets where the Florida Department of Health (DOH) believes the virus is being transmitted.

Earlier this month, the CDC issued a similar advisory for an area north of downtown Miami encompassing the neighborhood of Wynwood where the first locally acquired cases of Zika in the continental United States were reported. It was believed to be the first time that the CDC urged people to avoid an area of the continental U.S. because of a health threat.

“We can’t predict how long this will continue, but we do know that it will be difficult to control,” CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, said during a teleconference. “Even for the small six-block area in the Wynwood neighborhood, it has been difficult to control the mosquito that spreads this disease.”

Thomas R. Frieden

Prior to the Florida cases, every Zika infection in the continental U.S. had been associated with travel to a country where the virus was being actively transmitted. The newest warning came after a DOH investigation showed that the Zika infections of five patients were linked to the Miami Beach area. This brings the state’s total to 36 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus, according to the DOH.

The CDC said pregnant women and their partners who either live in the area or have visited it since July 14 should be aware that Zika is being transmitted locally. Further, pregnant women should consider being tested for Zika, and people with a pregnant sex partner should either abstain from sex or use condoms for the duration of the pregnancy, the CDC said.

Zika infection in humans is generally mild, but the virus can cause microcephaly and other serious birth defects in infants. It is primarily spread by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito, but also can be sexually transmitted by men and women.

Although the CDC still does not expect widespread transmission, it said pregnant women and their partners from other areas should consider postponing nonessential travel to Miami-Dade County.

“There are undoubtedly more infections that we are not aware of right now,” Frieden said.

The area of Miami Beach where Zika it being transmitted is less than 1.5 square miles, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said.

“Just like when we learned of transmission in Wynwood, the county has already begun an aggressive mosquito eradication plan that includes additional spraying in Miami Beach,” he said in a statement. “I also directed the Department of Health to contract with private mosquito control companies to assist the county in this effort.

“We will continue to work with the county’s mosquito control district and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to ensure we are utilizing all resources for mosquito abatement. The Department of Health will also be doing extensive and strategic testing to identify any other people who may have contracted the Zika virus.”

According to Frieden, no pools of mosquitoes in the area have tested positive for Zika virus. The CDC director has said it is very difficult to find infected mosquitoes even when local transmission is occurring.

The CDC again urged people to take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. These include wearing long sleeves and pants and using effective mosquito repellent.

Frieden thinks some of this advice is likelier to be followed than others in the tropical climate of Miami Beach.

“Covered skin is safer than uncovered skin, but uncovered skin with DEET on it is also safe,” he said. – by Gerard Gallagher

Reference:

CDC. Additional area of active Zika transmission identified in Miami Beach. 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0819-zika-miami-beach.html. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Disclosures: Frieden is the director of the CDC. Scott is the governor of Florida.