Florida Zika cases spark fear, but no travel warning
MIAMI— There’s no official warning to stay clear of Florida, but the crowds that usually wander among the bold street murals in Miami’s trendy Wynwood arts district may be thinner after reports that mosquitoes in the area have spread the Zika virus on the U.S. mainland for the first time.
Officials are trying to reassure tourists they’ll be safe when visiting Florida’s theme parks and urban arts districts. But some Miami residents said Friday they were stocking up on mosquito repellent and planning to bring lunches to work instead of sitting at outdoor cafe tables under Wynwood’s bright murals.
No mosquitoes in Miami or else- where in Florida have tested positive for Zika, but four Miami-area patients who contracted the disease did not get it by travelling to an outbreak country or from sex with an infected person. Officials say those four are apparently the first of over 1,650 U.S. Zika cases to have gotten the disease from a mosquito in the U.S.
Gov. Rick Scott pinpointed the infections to Wynwood, and the state’s agriculture commissioner issued a mosquito declaration that triggers aggressive mosquito-control efforts within a 180-metre radius of the homes of the patients with locally acquired cases.
The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday there were no plans to recommend limiting travel to South Florida.