Physical Wellness

Mosquitoes In Florida’s Miami-Dade County Will Be Tested For Zika Virus

By Frida Sarpadi | Update Date: Jul 25, 2016 02:20 PM EDT

An official from Florida Health department confirmed that mosquitoes have been contained in the area of the investigation after a woman with the virus was identified from Miami-Date County early this week.

The Associated Press reported that the mosquitoes are now being tested for Zika virus.

If results come out that the virus is attributed to Zika, the Florida woman could be the first person afflicted with mosquito bites without traveling to a foreign country, like Brazil and she could be the first case in the United States.

The state’s Department of Health is working closely with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find out more about the infection now suffered by the woman from Miami.

The intervention comes following reports that Miami-Dade County has recorded the most number of confirmed infections in Florida. Of the number of cases in the area now believed to reach 89, all have been found to be infected following travels outside of the US, particularly Latin America and the Caribbean. The unidentified woman from Miami-Dade is the only one who could be infected without leaving the country.

Following the response plan outlined by CDC, it will take more than one case of Zika virus infection before the U.S. health officials will make any official statement confirming that indeed, someone was infected with the threatening virus inside the US mainland.

As outlined in the CDC response plan, the declaration will be based on three parameters - - that the cases are found within a mile area and the victims do not share the same roof; that there is no sex involved with the Zika-infected people; and there is no known travel to countries known with Zika outbreaks, including Brazil.

Statistics show that an estimated 1,300 Zika infections have been reported in the United States. These cases do not concern bites from local mosquitoes. About 14 of these cases are transmitted through sex while one lab worker got infected by a needle stick, says AP.

In a related news, the mosquito control officials from Florida have also raised concerns about the costs of the efforts to curb the spread of the Zika virus. WRAL learns that officials hope federal funding to continue to fight the Zika virus.

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