Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Possible Zika infections probed
Two cases might be locally acquired
Public health officials are expanding their investigations of potential local transmission of the Zika virus as they explore two new cases, one each in Broward and Miami-Dade County, possibly not brought here by travelers to Zika hot spots, according to the Florida Department of Health on Wednesday.
The probe, which began last week, now involves four possible local cases split between the two counties. If confirmed, South Florida will become the first place in the continental United States to have locally acquired infections of the mosquitoborne virus.
Among the more than 1,400 infections nationwide reported so far, almost all were related to travel — primarily to countries in the Caribbean, South and Central America, where the virus is endemic. Fifteen U.S. cases were sexually transmitted.
State health officials, who are working with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said they will continue going door to door in areas around the four suspect cases. Officials would not disclose what cities or neighborhoods were involved due to medical privacy issues.
They asked that residents and visitors comply with requests for urine samples, as it will help health workers determine the potential number of people affected.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is continuing to trap and test mosquitoes in the surveillance areas, looking for any that might be carrying Zika. So far, none has tested positive, department spokeswoman Jennifer Meale said Wednesday.
Local transmission is a public health concern, as it could kickstart the quick spread of the virus. Public health experts, however, have long been saying that it was just a mater of time before home-grown Zika appeared in the U.S. Steamy, warm places like Florida — which have large numbers of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, Zika’s most common carrier — were the most likely ground zeroes.
Earlier this week, state Surgeon General Celeste Philip announced that OneBlood donation centers in Broward and MiamiDade soon would start screening the blood it collects for Zika.
The two counties together have 151 confirmed Zika cases not involving pregnant women, about half of the state’s total, as of Wednesday.
Florida has an additional 53 cases involving pregnant women, who are monitored separately as they are considered those with the hightest potential Zika risk.
Researchers have confirmed more than 1,730 cases worldwide, the vast majority in Brazil, where newborns of women infected while pregnant developed fetal abnormalities. Zika also has been linked to neurological disorders in adults.