Likely Local Zika Transmission Miami Dade Co Florida

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Suspect Zika case in Miami-Dade County Florida has been confirmed (route or infection under investigation).

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MIAMI (AP) - The CDC is working with Florida health officials to investigate what could be the first Zika infection from a mosquito in the continental United States.

They say lab tests confirm a person in the Miami area is infected with the Zika virus, and there may not be any connection to someone traveling outside the country.

http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=sP7HWP9G

 

 

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CDC, Florida probing possible Zika case from Miami mosquito

 

By JENNIFER KAY
Published: 52 minutes ago

 

MIAMI (AP) - The CDC is working with Florida health officials to investigate what could be the first Zika infection from a mosquito in the continental United States.

They say lab tests confirm a person in the Miami area is infected with the Zika virus, and there may not be any connection to someone traveling outside the country.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says none of the more than 1,300 Zika infections in the United States to date were from local mosquitoes. Fourteen were sexually transmitted and one involved laboratory exposure.

Mosquito control inspectors were at work in Miami-Dade County on Wednesday. Spokeswoman Gayle Love said they've been going door-to-door since health authorities alerted them late last week, spraying to kill mosquitoes and emptying any containers holding water.

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Florida Officials Probe Zika Case That May Not Be Related To Travel

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July 20, 201611:41 AM ET

ROB STEIN

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A Broward County, Fla., employee takes water samples in a yard to test for mosquito larvae in June. It's part of the county's mosquito control program.

Lynne Sladky/AP

Health officials are investigating a Zika virus infection in Florida that could be the first case in which someone caught the virus by being bitten by a mosquito in the United States.

In a statement posted on its website Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health says the "possible non-travel related case of Zika" occurred in Miami-Dade County.

That means it's possible that the infected person did not catch the virus while traveling in another country where the virus is spreading. Rather, the infection might have been acquired from an infected mosquito.

But there's also the possibility that the Florida case may have occurred another way, such as sexual contact.

The statement does not mention sexual transmission, and officials did not provide any additional information in response to a request from Shots.

"We do not have additional information to share at this time," Brad Dalton, deputy press secretary in the department's office of communications, said in an email. He added that the investigation is ongoing.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an email that the agency "has been informed" of the case and is "closely coordinating" with Florida officials in the investigation.

Health authorities have been expecting that Zika could eventually spread by mosquitoes in parts of the United States. But they have repeatedly said they are confident they could prevent any large outbreaks from occurring.

More than 1,300 cases of Zika have been reported in the the continental United States and Hawaii. So far none have occurred by being bitten by a mosquito in this country. Most have been in travelers returning from countries where the virus is spreading. At least 14 are believed to have occurred through sexual contact with someone who was infected elsewhere.

Zika can cause serious birth defects when pregnant women get infected, and can cause neurological complications in adults in rare cases.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/20/486737908/florida-officials-probe-zika-case-that-may-not-be-travel-related

 

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Florida health officials probe 1st possible Zika case from Miami mosquito bite

By Jennifer Kay The Associated Press

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In this Jan. 27, 2016, file photo, an Aedes aegypti mosquito is photographed through a microscope at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil.

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MIAMI – Health officials in Florida were investigating Wednesday what could be the first Zika infection from a mosquito bite in the continental United States.

Lab tests confirmed that the person in the Miami area has the Zika virus, according to statements from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Florida’s Department of Health.

More than 1,300 Zika infections have been reported in the U.S., but none involved bites from local mosquitoes, according to the CDC. Fourteen cases were sexually transmitted and one lab worker was stuck with a contaminated needle.Health officials said the person has no apparent links to recent travel outside the country, but no additional information was released. They did not immediately respond Wednesday to questions about why they believe the infection is not travel-related, and whether the possibility of sexual transmission has been ruled out.

READ MORE: Scientists map mom to fetus transmission in 1st detailed explanation

Miami-Dade County has the most confirmed infections in Florida so far – 88, but all have been found to be travel-related.

Mosquito control inspectors have been going door-to-door in the area under investigation since health authorities alerted them late last week, spraying to kill mosquitoes and emptying containers of the water they need to breed. If the virus is there, they want to keep it from spreading through more mosquito bites.

“We’re constantly in the area. We’re doing hand-held spraying, and we’ll do more truck spraying Thursday,” said Gayle Love, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade County Solid Waste Management.

Zika prevention kits and mosquito repellent – strongly recommended for women who are pregnant or planning to be pregnant – are being distributed in the area and can be picked up at the health department as well.

In most people, Zika causes only a mild and brief illness, at worst. But it can cause fetal death and severe brain defects in the children of women infected during pregnancy.

READ MORE: First international clinical study on Zika virus vaccine set for Quebec City

There is no vaccine. In outbreak areas, the main defence is to avoid mosquito bites. Zika also can be spread through unprotected sex with someone who is infected.

Health officials worldwide have advised pregnant women not to travel to areas where Zika is spreading.

The CDC also recommends that women wait at least eight weeks after a Zika illness, or possible exposure to the virus, before trying to conceive. Men who had symptoms should wait at least six months before trying.

http://globalnews.ca/news/2836891/florida-health-officials-probe-1st-possible-zika-case-from-miami-mosquito-bite/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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Florida may have first non-travel related Zika infection in the U.S., officials say

Updated: Jul 20, 2016 - 3:53 PM

Photo: CDC/James Gathany

© 2016 Cox Media Group.

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MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. —

Health officials are considering whether one of Florida’s newest Zika patients got infected by a “Florida” mosquito.

The case, which was reported in Miami-Dade County, could indicate whether Zika has entered the state’s mosquito population.

The case in Miami-Dade County doesn’t appear to be travel related or sexually transmitted, Florida International University infectious disease expert Dr. Aileen Marty said.

She expects the investigation by the Florida Health Department and CDC to be meticulous.

“All of those things have to definitely be ruled out now in this particular case,” she said. “In addition, they are going to have to do a very careful determination of where the individual lives, where they work and where they have been playing for the last couple of weeks.”

Authorities in Central Florida are already taking steps to monitor mosquitos.

Orange County Mosquito Control manager Kelly Deutsch has brought on extra staff to help conduct inspections.

They employees are checking buckets and garbage cans for standing water, which are breeding grounds for mosquitos.

Orange County residents are doing their part too.

As part of his day’s yard work, Roger Bates is on the lookout for standing water.

His mother lives with him and she’s worried about Zika.

“We get inches of rain and then it just sits. So if there’s no way to control it and get it out of your backyard, it’s just going to sit there,” he said.

Bates said he installed a new drainage system, but there’s only so much he can do to keep the area dry.

The Miami-Dade case is serious because it may be the first non-travel related case in the state.

“We haven’t had any confirmed, locally-acquired cases yet and it’s new if we do. That means it’s traveling in the mosquito population,” said Deutsch.

Orange County has 33 travel-related cases, the third-highest in Florida.

The Mosquito Control unit recently for an extra $95,000 from the state to buy more supplies and hire 10 temporary staffers.

“The new people are able to go and do neighborhood inspections by themselves. Now, basically, we can cover a lot more area than we could before,” said Deutsch.

The county has helped investigate more than 300 suspected cases since February. Deutsch said that involves reviewing a patient's travel history and checking their neighborhood for standing water.

As of July 13, 2016, there have been 1,306 confirmed cases of Zika in the continental U.S. and Hawaii, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A Utah man who got Zika while taking care of his infected father has researchers scratching their heads.

Until now, experts thought the Zika virus could only be spread by mosquitoes and sexual contact with an infected person.

The man’s elderly father died in late June, the CDC said.

A blood sample taken after his death showed the amount of virus in his system was more than 100,000 times higher than what has been seen in samples from other infected persons, the CDC said.

In Florida, if the Zika infection is found to have been spread by local mosquitoes, the areas where that person may have been bitten will be thoroughly sprayed, Marty said.

Florida has one of the best mosquito control programs in the country and this isn’t the first mosquito-borne disease the state has contended with, she said.

Get more information on the Zika virus on the WFTV Zika Page.

http://www.wftv.com/news/local/florida-may-have-first-non-travel-related-zika-infection-in-the-us-officials-say/407733865

 

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JULY 19, 2016

CDC probing possible first Zika case from US mosquito bite

 

Associated Press

MIAMI (WSVN) - MIAMI (AP) — Health officials in Florida are investigating what could be the first Zika infection from a mosquito bite in the continental United States, involving a resident of the Miami area.

Lab tests confirmed the Zika infection, according to statements from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Florida’s Department of Health.
Health officials said the person has no apparent links to recent travel outside the country. They did not immediately respond Wednesday to questions about ruling out other methods of transmission, such as sex.

The patient is an adult woman who lives in Miami-Dade County, according to a health official familiar with the case who wasn’t authorized to reveal details beyond the statements of the agencies involved, and thus spoke on condition of anonymity.

No other details about her case were released.

More than 1,300 Zika infections have been reported in the U.S., none involving bites from local mosquitoes; 14 of these were sexually transmitted and one lab worker was stuck with a contaminated needle.

Miami-Dade County has the most confirmed infections in Florida so far — 88, but all have involved someone who traveled to areas such as Latin America and the Caribbean where Zika outbreaks are widespread.

Health officials predicted the virus would reach U.S. mosquitoes this summer and have mobilized to keep Zika from spreading beyond isolated clusters of cases.

Mosquito control inspectors have been going door-to-door in the Miami area under investigation since health authorities alerted them late last week, spraying to kill mosquitoes and emptying containers of the water they need to breed. If the virus is there, they want to keep it from spreading through more mosquito bites.

“We’re constantly in the area. We’re doing hand-held spraying, and we’ll do more truck spraying Thursday,” said Gayle Love, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade County Solid Waste Management.

Zika prevention kits and mosquito repellent — strongly recommended for women who are pregnant or planning to be — are being distributed in the area and can be picked up at the health department as well.

Crews in Utah, meanwhile, are trapping and testing mosquitoes and checking hotspots after a man who cared for his dying father was infected with Zika as well. That case has raised more questions about how the virus might spread.

There is no vaccine for Zika. The main defense is to avoid mosquito bites. Zika also can spread through unprotected sex with someone who is infected.

In most people, Zika causes only a mild and brief illness, at worst. But it can cause fetal death and severe brain defects in the children of women infected during pregnancy.

---

Associated Press writer Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.

(WSVN) — Officials suggest following these tips in order to help prevent contracting the Zika virus:

1. Drain standing water in and around your home
2. Use mosquito repellent
3. Cover up with clothing by wearing long sleeves and long pants, especially if you work or exercise outside
4. Use protection when engaging in sexual intercourse

The Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating this case. Officials have not said what part of the county this potential case may have originated in.

For more mosquito control tips from Miami-Dade County, visit this link.

http://wsvn.com/news/local/officials-investigate-potential-zika-case-possibly-contracted-in-miami-dade/

 

[niman]

CDC probing possible first Zika case from US mosquito bite

Health officials in Florida are investigating what could be the first Zika infection from a mosquito bite in the continental United States, involving a resident of the Miami area

July 20, 2016, at 4:52 p.m.

MIAMI (AP) — Health officials in Florida are investigating whether the Zika infection of a woman in the Miami area could be the first transmission of the virus from a mosquito bite in the continental United States.

Lab tests confirmed the Zika infection, according to statements from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Florida's Department of Health.

Health officials said the case had no apparent links to recent travel outside the country. They did not immediately respond Wednesday to questions about ruling out other methods of transmission, such as sex.

The patient is an adult woman who lives in Miami-Dade County, according to a health official familiar with the case who wasn't authorized to reveal details beyond the statements of the agencies involved, and thus spoke on condition of anonymity.

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No other details about her case were released.

More than 1,300 Zika infections have been reported in the U.S., none involving bites from local mosquitoes; 14 of these were sexually transmitted and one lab worker was stuck with a contaminated needle.

Miami-Dade County has the most confirmed infections in Florida — 89, but so far all have involved someone who traveled outside the U.S. mainland to areas with Zika outbreaks, such as Latin America and the Caribbean.

Health officials predicted the virus would reach U.S. mosquitoes this summer and have mobilized to keep Zika from spreading beyond isolated clusters of cases.

According to a CDC response plan, health officials would want to see more than just one unexplained case before declaring that someone has been infected by a mosquito bite in the continental United States.

The plan suggests there should be two or more cases within a 1-mile area, in people who do not live together, who did not have sex with Zika-infected people, and who did not recently travel to countries with Zika outbreaks.

 

Evidence of the virus in mosquitoes captured in the same areas also might help investigators declare Zika is spreading, but short of that, it might be difficult to determine with certainty that mosquito transmission has occurred.

Mosquito control inspectors in Miami have been going door-to-door in the area under investigation since health authorities alerted them late last week, spraying to kill mosquitoes and emptying containers of the water they need to breed. If the virus is there, they want to keep it from spreading through more mosquito bites.

"We're constantly in the area. We're doing hand-held spraying, and we'll do more truck spraying Thursday," said Gayle Love, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade County Solid Waste Management.

Zika prevention kits and mosquito repellent — strongly recommended for women who are pregnant or planning to be — are being distributed in the area and can be picked up at the health department as well.

Crews in Utah, meanwhile, are setting traps in old tires and junkyards and dumping mosquito-eating fish into ponds and abandoned pools after a man who cared for his dying father was infected with Zika as well. Since that case doesn't involve travel or sex, it has raised more questions about how the virus might spread.

"Our best option is to try find these mosquitoes quickly so that way we can eliminate them prior to their establishment," said Ary Faraji, manager of the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District. "Once they become established, it is extremely difficult to get rid of those species.

 

There is no vaccine for Zika. The main defense is to avoid mosquito bites. Zika also can spread through unprotected sex with someone who is infected.

In most people, Zika causes only a mild and brief illness, at worst. But it can cause fetal death and severe brain defects in the children of women infected during pregnancy.

___

Associated Press writers Mike Stobbe in New York and Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

http://www.usnews.com/news/news/articles/2016-07-20/cdc-florida-probing-possible-zika-case-from-miami-mosquito?src=usn_tw

 

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Zika in Florida: Possible Mosquito to Human Infection Eyed as First US Case of Local Transmission

• By GILLIAN MOHNEY

Jul 20, 2016, 10:30 AM ET

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WATCH Possible Homegrown Case of Zika Investigated in US

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The Florida Health Department is investigating whether a Zika virusinfection in Miami-Dade County could be the first time the virus has been transmitted within the continental U.S. through infected mosquitoes.

The department is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to understand how the infected person could have been exposed to the virus in Miami. If confirmed to be a case of local virus transmission via an infected mosquito, it would be the first such case reported for the continental U.S.

The unnamed patient had not traveled to any country with ongoing-Zika infections, the health department said.

Puerto Rico has already been battling a widespread outbreak of the virus that is being locally transmitted.

There have been more than 1,300 people diagnosed with Zika in the U.S., but virtually all were infections contracted while abroad. A small number of cases were transmitted via sexual contact with partners who were infected abroad, according to health officials.

In order to be classified as a case of ongoing local Zika transmission there needs to be two cases of Zika infection within a one-mile diameter within a month that are both unrelated to travel or sexual transmission, according to the CDC.

 

Fighting Zika With GMO Mosquitoes Could Be the Future of Mosquito Control

 

 

Mosquito-Born Zika Virus Linked to Birth Defects

 

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said if the case is confirmed as a local transmission of the virus through infected mosquitoes, it would not be surprising.

"Everyone has said from the beginning is that there will likely be introductions and then subsequent local spread that is going to be very limited," of Zika virus, Schaffer said. "This sounds as though this may be the first instance of that."

Schaffner pointed out that to stop any possible outbreak, the health department will ask the infected patients to remain indoors so that they cannot infect mosquitoes that might bite them -- potentially leading to other infections. The CDC and Miami-Dade Department of health are also distributing Zika prevention kits and working with mosquito control to reduce the mosquito population in the area.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/florida-investigates-us-case-local-zika-virus-transmission/story?id=40728735

 

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• AUTHOR: SARAH ZHANG.SARAH ZHANG SCIENCE
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• DATE OF PUBLICATION: 07.20.16.07.20.16
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• TIME OF PUBLICATION: 6:23 PM.6:23 PM

FLORIDA MAY HAVE ITS FIRST CASE OF ZIKA FROM LOCAL MOSQUITOES

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Delfina Tirado, an inspector with Miami-Dade County's Mosquito Control Division, collects larvae of the Aedes aegypti mosquito in Miami, March 17, 2016.MAX REED/THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX

THE FIRST CASE of a mosquito giving Zika to someone in the US was always going to be a matter of when, not if. That “when” may be now. The Florida Department of Public Health announced late yesterday that it is investigating a case of non-travel related Zika in Miami-Dade County, at the very southeastern tip of the state.

A key part of the investigation will be testing if mosquitoes around the patient’s home carry Zika. The county had set out a type of mosquito trap, baited with carbon dioxide, that preferentially attracts the Zika-carrying mosquito species:Aedes egypti and Aedes albopictus. It’s now sent those mosquitoes to a lab at Florida Gulf Coast University to look for Zika virus. “We don’t have any results to report yet,” says Sharon Irsen, who co-leads the Florida Gulf Coast University lab with Scott Michael.

The university lab had been testing Miami-Dade’s mosquitoes for other tropical viruses, like dengue and yellow fever, for the past several years. Earlier this summer, they added Zika virus to their repertoire. The protocol is similar. “The mosquitoes are shipped in vials. We homogenize—basically mush up the mosquitoes—and extract the genome,” says Isern. Then they look for Zika’s genetic signature. The whole process takes about a week, but can go faster if necessary.

The Florida Department of Public Health did not specifically rule out sexual transmission of Zika and did not provide any additional details about the case. But sexual transmission is generally easier to prove, as long as you can test the partner. When Dallas found the first case of sexual transmission in the US back in February, they came out and said it. This week also saw a mysterious Zika case in Utah, which does not appear to be associated with mosquitoes, travel, or sexual contact.

If the Zika case in Miami-Dade is indeed traced back to local mosquitoes, it could herald more endemic infections to come. “It’s not a small story,” says Michael. “The mosquitoes that can transmit are all up and down the east coast and the Gulf coast.” Still, it is unlikely to ignite a full-blown epidemic like that seen in Brazil. Take the case of dengue, a similar virus spread by the same mosquito species that spread Zika. Florida has seen sporadic breakouts of dengue, but public health officials were able to contain them by containing the insects.

Zika has made residents more wary of mosquitoes. Miami-Dade county’s mosquito control has responded to 5,549 mosquito control requests from residents between October and July 7, compared to 4,408 for all of the previous year, according to county spokesperson Gayle Love. When mosquito control gets these requests, officials go out to drain any small pools of standing water in yards and spray bigger ones with larvicide. They’ll also check a few neighboring yards, because the Aedes mosquitoes can only fly so far.

This has been, and will continue to be, the core strategy behind containing Zika. The best way to prevent mosquitoes from transmitting Zika is to prevent mosquitoes in the first place.

http://www.wired.com/2016/07/florida-investigating-possible-first-case-zika-mosquitoes/?mbid=social_twitter

 

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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

July 20, 2016

Readout of the President’s Call with Governor Rick Scott of Florida

The President spoke by phone today with Governor Rick Scott of Florida regarding the suspected case of mosquito transmission of Zika announced by the Florida Department of Health. This case would be the first documented Zika infection caused by a mosquito in the Continental United States.  The President recognized Florida's strong record of responding aggressively to local outbreaks of mosquito-borne viruses like Zika, and offered Federal support and technical assistance for Florida's ongoing case investigation and mosquito control efforts. He acknowledged Florida's close coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC for Zika preparedness. The President also noted during the call that in addition to the $2 million that CDC has provided to Florida for Zika preparedness, CDC is anticipating it will award Florida $5.6 million in Zika funding through a CDC grant to be awarded this week.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/07/20/readout-presidents-call-governor-rick-scott-florida

 

[niman]

Fla. mosquitoes being tested for Zika to confirm case

Jennifer Kay, Associated Press6:27 a.m. EDT July 21, 2016

 

(Photo: Rick Bowmer / AP)

Miami — Florida health officials have trapped mosquitoes in an area of Miami-Dade County and are testing them for Zika to confirm whether a woman with the virus could be the first person infected directly by a mosquito bite in the continental United States.

Florida’s Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not immediately respond to questions about their investigation, but health officials said the case had no apparent connection to travel outside the country.

The patient is a woman who lives in Miami-Dade County, according to a health official familiar with the case who wasn’t authorized to reveal details beyond the statements of the agencies involved, and thus spoke on condition of anonymity.

“Mosquitos have been trapped in the area of investigation and are being tested,” Health Department spokeswoman Mara Gambineri said in an email Wednesday to The Associated Press.

More than 1,300 Zika infections have been reported in the U.S., none involving bites from local mosquitoes; 14 of these were sexually transmitted, and one lab worker was stuck with a contaminated needle.

Health officials predicted that would change this summer once the virus reaches U.S. mosquitoes and have mobilized to keep Zika from spreading beyond isolated clusters of cases.

Miami-Dade County has the most confirmed infections in Florida — 89 — but so far all have involved someone who traveled outside the U.S. mainland to areas with Zika outbreaks, such as Latin America and the Caribbean.

The White House said in a news release Wednesday that President Barack Obama had spoken by phone with Florida Gov. Rick Scott regarding the new Zika case. The president noted during the call that besides the $2 million the CDC already provided to Florida, the agency anticipates awarding Florida another $5.6 million in Zika funding through a grant this week.

According to a CDC response plan, health officials would want to see more than just one unexplained case before declaring that someone has been infected by a mosquito bite in the continental United States.

The plan suggests there should be two or more cases within a 1-mile area in people who do not live together, who did not have sex with Zika-infected people and who did not recently travel to countries with Zika outbreaks.

Evidence of the virus in mosquitoes captured in the same areas also might help investigators declare Zika is spreading, but short of that, it might be difficult to determine with certainty that mosquito transmission has occurred.

Mosquito control inspectors in Miami have been going door-to-door in the area of investigation since health authorities alerted them late last week to the woman’s infection. They’ve been spraying to kill mosquitoes and emptying containers of the water mosquitoes need to breed. If the virus is there, they want to prevent its spread.

“We’re constantly in the area. We’re doing hand-held spraying, and we’ll do more truck spraying Thursday,” said Gayle Love, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade County Solid Waste Management.

Crews in Utah, meanwhile, are setting traps in old tires and junkyards and dumping mosquito-eating fish into ponds and abandoned pools after a man who cared for his dying father was infected with Zika as well. Since that case doesn’t involve travel or sex, it has raised more questions about how the virus might spread.

“Our best option is to try to find these mosquitoes quickly so that way we can eliminate them prior to their establishment,” said Ary Faraji, manager of the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District. “Once they become established, it is extremely difficult to get rid of those species.”

There is no vaccine for Zika. The main defense is to avoid mosquito bites. Zika also can spread through unprotected sex with someone who is infected.

In most people, Zika causes only a mild and brief illness, but it can provoke fetal death and severe brain defects in the children of women infected during pregnancy.

Health officials worldwide have advised people preparing to have children not to travel to areas where the risk of Zika is high. But these and other warnings have applied to countries and regions where outbreaks have spread far and wide.

It remains to be seen how many Zika infections would have to be confirmed in an area before state or federal officials issue similar warnings for parts of the U.S. mainland.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2016/07/21/zika-florida/87377008/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[niman]

Local transmission suspected in Florida Zika case

Filed Under: 

Chikungunya

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Zika

Lisa Schnirring | News Editor | CIDRAP News

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Jul 20, 2016

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An investigation is under way to confirm if a recent Zika infection reported from Florida 's Miami-Dade County was contracted from local mosquitoes, which would make it the first such case in the continental United States, health officials announced yesterday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that limited local spread of Zika virus is likely in some parts of the southern United States where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are present. Though detection of a local case on the mainland wouldn't be surprising, the discovery would trigger additional response steps.

Limited local spread of chikungunya, another mosquito-borne disease, was seen in 2014, with the nation's first two locally transmitted cases reported from two Florida counties, one of them Miami-Dade. Texas was the only other state to report a local chikungunya case, in an individual who got sick in November 2015 and whose infection was confirmed in January.

In March, a Zika risk map for the continental United States issued by two atmospheric research teams pinpointed Miami as the most vulnerable area, followed by several other cities in Florida and along the southeastern coasts.

Local response steps

The CDC is collaborating on the probe, and in a statement yesterday the Florida Department of Health said mosquito control authorities are already conducting reduction and prevention activities near the area where the case was detected.

The Associated Press (AP) today, citing an unnamed source familiar with the case, said the patient is an adult woman. Florida Health said in its statement that it would share more details when available.

Also, Florida Health said it is distributing Zika prevention kits and repellent for pregnant women in the affected area and is making them available for pickup at its Miami-Dade office.

In its daily Zika update today, Florida officials said 284 travel-related Zika infections have been reported in the state, with the largest number of them (89 cases) from Miami-Dade County.  The state is monitoring 43 pregnant women with evidence of Zika infection, regardless of symptoms, including 12 that meet the CDC's case definition.

Case confirmation would step up CDC response phase

According to the CDC draft Zika response plan for the continental United States, unveiled in June, confirmation of a locally acquired case or cases clustered in a single household would raise the level to phase 2.

Because state environmental factors vary widely, the agency doesn't have a formula to trigger specific response activities, and it said a starting point for defining local transmission is two or more cases not linked to travel or sexual transmission in nonhousehold members occurring in a 1-mile diameter over the course of 1 month.

The CDC has said it would reach out to states reporting local Zika cases to offer support with incident management activities and is standing by with CDC emergency response teams (CERTs), which can be deployed to help with technical and epidemiologic tasks and assist with risk communication, vector control, and response logistics.

Part of CDC's assistance involves help investigating the timing and source of infection, interviewing contacts and health providers, and facilitating testing of close contacts.

Other developments

• The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics are hosting a 2-day live webcast meeting, starting tomorrow, to review the clinical evaluation and management of babies with congenital Zika infections. The session tomorrow begins at 8:30 a.m. EST and will cover what's known about the science. Then on Jul 22 the group will air recommendations from the previous day's small-group discussions.
   
• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) Zika test from Viracor-IBT Laboratories. The test is designed to detect Zika RNA in human serum, plasma, or urine when collect alongside patient-matched serum of plasma specimens in patients who meet clinical or epidemiological criteria for the disease. The EUA only applies to testing at Viracor-IBT's lab in Lee's Summit, Mo., or at labs certified to perform high complexity tests.
   
• French researchers today described Zika virus RNA in the semen of a 27-year-old man 93 days after symptom onset shortly returning from Thailand, where he had been bitten by mosquitoes. They reported their findings today in the August issue of Lancet Infectious Diseases. The virus was found during testing as part of French protocols for men undergoing fertility preservation methods in advance of medical procedures, such as chemotherapy or radiological treatment. The patient was about to undergo aggressive treatment for a monophasic grade 2 synovial cell sarcoma. The researchers noted that people infected from nonepidemic areas such as Thailand can be infected with Zika virus and that prolonged shedding should be considered before taking steps to preserve fertility in advance of certain reproductive fertility measures.

See also:

Jul 19 Florida Health statement

Jul 20 AP story

CDC draft Zika response plan

Jul 20 Florida Health daily Zika update

Mar 16 CIDRAP News story "Cuba, Dominica report local Zika; study estimates US risk"

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2016/07/local-transmission-suspected-florida-zika-case

 

[niman]

Florida DOH Tests Locals, Mosquitoes For Non-Travel Zika Virus

July 20, 2016 6:44 PM By Donna Rapado

Filed Under: Florida, Health, Miami-Dade County, Zika

 

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Tests are being conducted and we will soon know whether someone in Miami-Dade has acquired the Zika virus locally.

It would be the first such case in the U.S.

According to the head of Mosquito Control Chalmers Vasquez, he was notified last Friday that there was a possibility someone in an unidentified part of the county was suspected of being the first non-travel case of Zika.

Chalmers says since then his team has been in the neighborhood gathering mosquito specimens for analysis and checking properties for standing water.

Related: Zika Case Raising New Questions About How Virus Spreads

“We have been knocking on doors and treating storm drains,” he says.

“In Florida the numbers are alarming,” says Nova Southeastern University professor Dr. Marie Florent Carre, who has been involved in prevention and education efforts regarding the Zika virus. “We ask the public to use repellant.”

Related: CDC Says  Zika Definitely Causes Severe Birth Defects

Symptoms of the Zika virus include fever, rash, joint pain, pinkeye, muscle pain, and headaches.

In pregnant women, the Zika virus can cause serious birth defects.

Dozens of pregnant women in south Florida have tested positive and are being monitored.

The mosquito that can carry the Zika virus  is common in South Florida and can be found in your backyard.

“The mosquito likes to breed in small deposits of water,” says Vasquez.

That is why everyone is urged to check for standing water on their property.

Northwest Miami-Dade resident Angela Torres says she is concerned about the spread of Zika in South Florida.

She says she visited the Caribbean recently and didn’t take chances.

“I took mosquito repellant so when I came back there were no problems,” said Torres.

As of Wednesday, there were 327 cases of the Zika virus in Florida with 89 cases reported in Miami-Dade County and 50 in Broward County.

Health experts say we can all do our part in preventing the spread starting in our own homes. Click here for tips on how to prevent the spread of Zika or click here for more information on the Zika virus.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/07/20/florida-health-officials-test-people-mosquitoes-for-locally-spread-zika-virus/

[niman]

Second Possible Zika Infection Is Found in Florida

By SABRINA TAVERNISEJULY 21, 2016

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Florida health officials are investigating a possible second case of the Zika virus that may have been locally transmitted. The announcement of the case, in Broward County, comes two days after the state said it was investigating apossible homegrown case in Miami-Dade County.

If the cases are confirmed, they would be the first times a person has been infected with the virus by a mosquito in the continental United States. There are more than 1,300 confirmed Zika cases in the country, but all of them had been contracted through travel abroad — by a mosquito bite or by sexual intercourse with someone who had traveled to a Zika-infected area.

Florida, with its heavy volume of travelers to and from countries where Zika is circulating, has had the most cases. The state health department has been working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to analyze the two cases.

Zika, a virus transmitted by mosquitoes or by sex with a person who has been infected by a mosquito, causes brain damage and neurological disorders in babies born to mothers who contracted it in pregnancy. It has spread throughout Latin America, causing hundreds of birth defects among largely poor populations that are ill-equipped to handle them.

But the virus is not expected to spread rapidly in the continental United States, partly because Americans are often in air-conditioned cars and houses, making it harder for mosquitoes to pick up the virus and spread it. (The virus has been spreading explosively in Puerto Rico, a United States territory.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/health/second-possible-zika-infection-is-found-in-florida.html?_r=0

 

[niman]

July 22, 2016

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DAILY ZIKA UPDATE: 19 NEW TRAVEL-RELATED CASES

 http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2016/07/072216-zika-update.html

Contact:
Communications Office
[email protected]
(850) 245-4111

Tallahassee, Fla.—In an effort to keep Florida residents and visitors safe and aware about the status of the Zika virus, the Florida Department of Health will issue a Zika virus update each week day at 2 p.m. Updates will include a CDC-confirmed Zika case count by county and information to better keep Floridians prepared.

There are 19 new travel-related cases of Zika with three in Orange, two in Hillsborough, two in Osceola, two in Seminole, two in Volusia, one in Broward, one in Miami-Dade, one in Okeechobee, one in Palm Beach, one in Pasco, one in Polk, one in St. Johns and one involving a pregnant women. The Declaration of Public Health Emergency has been amended to include Okeechobee County. According to CDC, symptoms associated with the Zika virus last between seven to 10 days.

The department’s investigations into the possible non-travel related Zika virus cases in Miami-Dade and Broward counties are ongoing and the department will share more details as they become available. To date, approximately 200 people have been interviewed and tested as part of the department’s investigations and we await additional lab results.

Dr. Marc Fischer, medical epidemiologist with CDC arrived in Florida today to assist in our investigation with mapping and testing methodology. The department is conducting door-to-door outreach with mosquito control in the areas surrounding the residences, work places and frequently visited locations of both suspect cases.

Residents and visitors are urged to participate in requests for blood and urine samples by the department in the areas of investigation. These results will help the department determine the number of people affected.

Zika prevention kits and repellent are being distributed in the areas of investigation, through local OBGYN offices and at both DOH-Broward and DOH-Miami-Dade.

CDC recommends that women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant postpone travel to Zika affected areas. According to CDC guidance, providers should consider testing all pregnant women with a history of travel to a Zika affected area for the virus. CDC recommends that a pregnant woman with a history of Zika virus and her provider should consider additional ultrasounds.

Florida has been monitoring pregnant women with evidence of Zika regardless of symptoms since January. The total number of pregnant women who have been monitored is 47, with 15 having met the previous CDC case definition.

The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and CDC released a new case definition for Zika that now includes reporting both asymptomatic and symptomatic cases of Zika. Prior to this change, states reported only symptomatic non-pregnant cases and pregnant cases regardless of symptoms. This change comes as a result of increased availability for testing in commercial laboratories.

County	Number of Cases (all travel related)
Alachua	5
Brevard	6
Broward	51
Charlotte	1
Citrus	2
Clay	3
Collier	4
Duval	6
Escambia	1
Highlands	1
Hillsborough	9
Lake	1
Lee	6
Manatee	1
Martin	1
Miami-Dade	93
Okaloosa	1
Okeechobee	1
Orange	36
Osceola	17
Palm Beach	15
Pasco	6
Pinellas	7
Polk	11
Santa Rosa	1
Seminole	11
St. Johns	3
St. Lucie	1
Volusia	5
Total cases not involving pregnant women	306

Cases involving pregnant women regardless of symptoms*

47

*Counties of pregnant women will not be shared.

On Feb. 12, Governor Scott directed the State Surgeon General to activate a Zika Virus Information Hotline for current Florida residents and visitors, as well as anyone planning on traveling to Florida in the near future. The hotline, managed by the Department of Health, has assisted 2,347 callers since it launched. The number for the Zika Virus Information Hotline is 1-855-622-6735.

All cases are travel-associated. There have been no locally-acquired cases of Zika in Florida. For more information on the Zika virus, click here.

The department urges Floridians to drain standing water weekly, no matter how seemingly small. A couple drops of water in a bottle cap can be a breeding location for mosquitoes. Residents and visitors also need to use repellents when enjoying the Florida outdoors.

More Information on DOH action on Zika:

• On Feb. 3, Governor Scott directed the State Surgeon General to issue a Declaration of Public Health Emergency for the counties of residents with travel-associated cases of Zika.
  • There have been 29 counties included in the declaration– Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Duval, Escambia, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Santa Rosa, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie and Volusia – and will be updated as needed. 
• DOH encourages Florida residents and visitors to protect themselves from all mosquito-borne illnesses by draining standing water; covering their skin with repellent and clothing; and covering windows with screens.
• DOH has a robust mosquito-borne illness surveillance system and is working with CDC, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and local county mosquito control boards to ensure that the proper precautions are being taken to protect Florida residents and visitors.
• On April 6, Governor Scott and Interim State Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip hosted a conference call with Florida Mosquito Control Districts to discuss ongoing preparations to fight the possible spread of the Zika virus in Florida. There were 74 attendees on the call.
• On May 11, Governor Scott met with federal leaders on the importance of preparing for Zika as we would a hurricane. Governor Scott requested 5,000 Zika preparedness kits from HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell as well as a plan from FEMA on how resources will be allocated to states in the event an emergency is declared.
• On June 1, Governor Scott requested for President Obama to provide preparedness items needed in order to increase Florida’s capacity to be ready when Zika becomes mosquito-borne in our state.
• On June 9, Governor Scott spoke with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden on Zika preparedness and reiterated the requests that he has continued to make to the federal government to prepare for the Zika virus once it becomes mosquito-borne in Florida. Governor Scott also requested that the CDC provide an additional 1,300 Zika antibody tests to Florida to allow individuals, especially pregnant women and new mothers, to see if they ever had the Zika virus.
• On June 23, Governor Scott announced that he will use his emergency executive authority to allocate $26.2 million in state funds for Zika preparedness, prevention and response in Florida.
• On June 28, the department announced the first confirmed case of microcephaly in an infant born in Florida whose mother had a travel-related case of Zika. The mother of the infant contracted Zika while in Haiti. Following the confirmation of this case, Governor Scott called on CDC to host a call with Florida medical professionals, including OBGYNs and physicians specializing in family medicine, to discuss the neurological impacts of Zika and what precautions new and expecting mothers should take.
• On July 1, CDC hosted a call with Florida medical professionals, including OBGYNs, pediatricians and physicians specializing in family medicine, to discuss the neurological impacts of Zika and what precautions new and expecting mothers should take. More than 120 clinicians participated.
• Florida currently has the capacity to test 4,841 people for active Zika virus and 2,189 for Zika antibodies.

Federal Guidance on Zika:

• According to CDC, Zika illness is generally mild with a rash, fever and joint pain. CDC researchers have concluded that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and other birth defects.

• The FDA released guidance regarding donor screening, deferral and product management to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmission of Zika virus. Additional information is available on the FDA website here.

• CDC has put out guidance related to the sexual transmission of the Zika virus. This includes CDC recommendation that if you have traveled to a country with local transmission of Zika you should abstain from unprotected sex.

For more information on Zika virus, click here.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health, please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

[niman]

Second Case of Zika in Florida May Have Come from Local Mosquitoes

Both investigations are underway with no official time line for answers

• By Helen Branswell, STAT on July 22, 2016

 

 

Credit: William Volcov/Brazil Photo Press/LatinContent/Getty Images

Health officials in Florida announced Thursday that they’re investigating a second case of Zika infection that may have been locally acquired.

The patient is in Broward County, which is adjacent to Miami-Dade County. The first patient, whose case was announced Tuesday and is still under investigation, is a woman living in Miami-Dade.

The Florida Department of Health called the new case “a possible non-travel related case.” The statement did not indicate whether the department believes the two cases may be linked, nor did it give any indication about how far away the two people live from one another.

Florida has asked for help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is sending a medical epidemiologist to assist with the investigation.

“CDC has been working with state, local, and territorial health officials to prepare for the possibility of locally acquired Zika infection in the United States,” the CDC said Thursday in a statement.

“Officials from Florida participated in all these activities, and their experience in responding to mosquito-borne diseases similar to Zika, including dengue and chikungunya, has been an important source of knowledge in this effort.”

When public health officials have warned about potential transmission of Zika in the US, Florida has been at the top of the at-risk list. The state has Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, a species known to transmit Zika.

And, as the CDC noted, Florida has experience with other viral diseases spread by these mosquitoes.

In 2014, the state had the first US outbreak of chikungunya, which took place in the same part of the state — southeastern Florida. There were about a dozen cases in that outbreak recorded in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Saint Lucie counties.

Infectious diseases expert Michael Osterholm said given the nature of Aedes aegypti, he suspects these two Zika cases, if locally acquired, may not be linked.

Aedes aegypti bite near where they breed, traveling very short distances over their lifetimes. “From where it’s hatched to where it lives is often just hundreds of yards,” said Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy.

“So unless these two people lived in the exact same neighborhood … it really just is an issue of the beginning of the Zika mosquito season in Florida,” Osterholm said.

He suggested people could do a lot to reduce their risk of infection by cleaning up their properties and neighborhoods, ensuring there are no places for the mosquitoes to breed.

“I think these early cases don’t give us a clue yet to the total number of cases that might be found,” he said. “But we shouldn’t be surprised if we have a number of cases. Clearly not hundreds, but we could have 20, 30, 40 cases” between now and September.

Experience with the other diseases spread by Aedes mosquitoes suggests aspects of the American lifestyle — air-conditioning in many homes and cars, the use of screens to cover doors and windows — could protect against the really large Zika outbreaks being seen in many parts of Latin America.

If confirmed, the Florida cases will be the first known instances where Zika infection was acquired in the US from mosquitoes. There have been 15 recorded cases of sexual transmission of the virus in the US and one laboratory worker was infected in a lab accident.

New figures posted by the CDC on Thursday show that as of July 20, 1,403 travel-related cases of Zika infection have been detected in the US. Of those, 400 have been pregnant women. Twelve infants with Zika-related birth defects have been born in the US so far, the agency reported. Another six affected pregnancies were lost, either to stillbirth, miscarriage, or termination.

Florida has reported 334 travel-related Zika cases, 46 of them pregnant women.

So far, there is no confirmed case of local mosquito transmission of the virus; the Florida patients would be the first.

Republished with permission from STAT. This article originally appeared on July 21, 2016.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/second-case-of-zika-in-florida-may-have-come-from-local-mosquitoes/?WT.mc_id=SA_TW_HLTH_NEWS

 

[niman]

NYC reports microcephaly; Florida probes possible 2nd local Zika case

Filed Under: 

Zika

Lisa Schnirring | News Editor | CIDRAP News

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Jul 22, 2016

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New York City health officials today reported the first baby born with Zika-related microcephaly in a local hospital, a day after Florida said it was investigating a second suspected local Zika case, this one in Broward County.

Elsewhere, Puerto Rico's governor today turned down a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proposal for aerial spraying for mosquitoes.

The rapidly evolving developments come a day after federal officials announced $60 million more to help states battle Zika virus and as the nation and its territories are well into their summer mosquito seasons.

Baby's mother got sick in an affected area

In a statement, New York City's health department (NYC Health) said the baby's mother was infected while in an area of ongoing Zika transmission. The baby has been diagnosed as having microcephaly and other brain problems, and tests were positive for Zika virus infection, NYC Health said in a press release.

NYC Health Commissioner Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, said in the statement, While not surprising, given the travel trends of our global city, this case is a strong reminder of the tragic consequences of the Zika virus. We are monitoring the baby's health closely and connecting the family with the necessary services to take care of their child."

At a media briefing streamed live online today, Bassett said she learned of the case yesterday and that the baby was born this month. To protect the family's privacy health officials offered no other details, but said they were working with the CDC on the case.

Jay Varma, MD, the health department's deputy commissioner for disease control, said 41 pregnant women who were infected with Zika virus have been reported in the city, the number is growing, and the cases are being evaluated on a regular basis.

NYC Health said the mayor had invested $21 million in Zika preparedness, which included expanding testing capacity and dedicating a call center for health providers to process lab results. As of Jul 15 NYC Health has tested about 2,000 pregnant women.

Because of travel patterns and large populations of immigrants from areas where the virus is circulating, and according to the CDC's latest totals, New York leads the nation in travel-related Zika cases. So far the city has reported 346 cases, including 4 sexually transmitted infections. More than half of infected people reported travel to the Dominican Republic.

Yesterday in an update the CDC said 18 poor birth outcomes have been reported in pregnant women infected with Zika virus, including 12 live births and 6 pregnancy losses.

Florida probes second case

In other Zika developments, the Florida Department of Health yesterday said it was investigating another suspected case involving local transmission, its second such announcement this week. In a statement, it said the possible nontravel-related case is in Broward County, which neighbors Miami-Dade County, the location of the first suspected local case.

In a news release yesterday, Florida Health said Gov Rick Scott asked the state's surgeon general to request help from a CDC medical epidemiologist with investigations into both cases. That help arrived today in the form of Marc Fischer, MD, MPH, a CDC medical epidemiologist, Florida Health said in its daily Zika update.

In the press release, Florida Health said Zika kits and repellent are being distributed to pregnant women in the affected area of Broward County, including through doctors' offices. Health officials are asking residents and visitors to cooperate with requests for blood and urine for testing in the investigation areas.

In its update today, Florida Health said so far about 200 people have been interviewed and tested as part of the two investigations, that it is waiting for more lab results, and that it would share more details when available. It noted that door-to-door outreach with mosquito control is under way in the homes, workplaces, and other locations the two suspected case-patients frequented.

Since yesterday, the state has received reports of 19 more travel-related Zika cases, 1 involving a pregnant woman. It now has 353 such illnesses, 47 of them in pregnant women.

News of the first suspected local case prompted OneBlood, which provides blood services throughout Florida and to parts of Georgia and South Carolina, to announce yesterday that it will start testing donated blood for Zika virus on Aug 1 using a new test that was granted emergency use authorization.

The first step is to screen a portion of collections in unaffected areas, making those blood products available to hospitals with high-risk patients, such as pregnant women, the company said in a statement.

If the case is confirmed as local, OneBlood would stop collections in the affected zip code and supply that area with blood from an unaffected area.

Spraying nixed; other developments

• Puerto Rico's governor today rejected a CDC suggestion to begin aerial spraying for mosquitoes with naled, and said he will support spraying with Bti, (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) an organic larvicide, the Associated Press (AP) reported today. The CDC has suggested aerial spraying as part of an integrated mosquito control program for the territory, which has been experiencing a surge of Zika activity. According to the AP, Puerto Ricans have organized protests about naled's possible impact on humans and wildlife. Puerto Rico's government was angered when the CDC sent the territory an unannounced shipment of naled, for which the CDC apologized today, saying it moved too quickly in the event that Puerto Rican officials would want to use the pesticide.
   
• A multidisciplinary mission will visit Guinea-Bissau next week to help investigate its recent local Zika cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its weekly update yesterday. Four positive samples were sent to the Pasteur Institute in Dakar on July 1 for gene sequencing to determine if the outbreak strain is the one fueling the outbreak in the Americas or the one that has circulated for many decades in Africa. Results are still pending, the WHO said.
   
• Colombia's number of Zika-related microcephaly cases and related birth defects continues to grow, with 21 now reported, the WHO also noted in its weekly update. The number increased by 3 from last week. Brazil also reported 22 more confirmed cases, boosting its total to 1,709.
   
• The Caribbean island of Saba, a territory of the Netherlands, reported its first local Zika virus transmission, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control  said today in its latestweekly communicable disease threats report. St Eustatius, Saba's neighbor to the southeast, also recently reported its first local case.

See also:

Jul 22 NYC Health press release

NYC Health Zika background and totals

Jul 21 Florida Health press release

Jul 22 Florida Health Zika update

Jul 21 OneBlood press release

Jul 12 CIDRAP News story "Experts warn spraying may not be very effective against Aedes"

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2016/07/nyc-reports-microcephaly-florida-probes-possible-2nd-local-zika-case

[niman]

Health Officials Investigate Two Possible Cases Of Zika Virus Outbreak In Florida

July 24, 20167:48 AM ET

Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday

 

Federal officials investigate the first two cases of Zika that may have been contracted in southern Florida. NPR's Elise Hu and Michaeleen Doucleff discuss the new findings and their possible impact.

Audio at:

http://www.npr.org/2016/07/24/487237222/health-officials-investigate-two-possible-cases-of-zika-virus-outbreak-in-florid?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=health&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews

 

[niman]

Miami Steps Up Mosquito Control Efforts After Suspected Zika Cases

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July 22, 20166:35 PM ET

Heard on All Things Considered

GREG ALLEN

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Larry Smart, a Miami-Dade County mosquito control inspector, uses a fogger to spray pesticide to kill mosquitoes in an effort to stop a possible Zika outbreak in Miami.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In a well-kept neighborhood in Miami with lush gardens, Larry Smart, a county mosquito control inspector, holds a turkey baster up to the light. "If you look closely, you'll see some moving fast. They're wriggling around," he says. "That's actually mosquito larvae." Smart uses the turkey baster to sample standing water in hard-to-reach places.

Florida is home to dozens of mosquito species, but the one officials are most concerned about now is Aedes aegypti, the main species that carries the Zika virus. These mosquitoes typically live near people and can breed in as little as a teaspoonful of stagnant water.

Health officials are worried that Zika may have a foothold in South Florida. They're investigating two cases of Zika that may have been contracted from mosquitoes in Florida, not by people traveling abroad.

At this Miami home, Smart found mosquito larvae in water held in the leaves of a bromeliad, a flowering plant common in South Florida yards.

Mosquitoes like to breed in the pooled water in plants like this bromeliad.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

"They'll breed in there and become adults," he says. "A lot of people don't realize that a plant like that is renowned for mosquitoes."

With a handheld fogging machine, Smart mists the foliage with an insecticide. He also drops pellets that kill mosquito larvae into the plant. Officials say going door-to-door and spraying by hand is the most efficient way to stop the Aedes aegypti mosquito and the spread of Zika.

Over the past week, Miami's mosquito control activity has been focused on oneparticular neighborhood. It's near the home of a person health officials say may have contracted Zika locally from a Florida mosquito. There are actually two cases of suspected local transmission now, one in Miami and one just north in Florida's Broward County. But Lilian Rivera, the head of Miami-Dade County's Health Department, says there are few details she can share.

"We are in an active investigation stage, not only in Miami but also in Broward," she says. Her message for the media and the public? "Just to have patience."

Florida's Department of Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to rule out other ways the two individuals could have contracted Zika, such as through travel or sexual transmission. The department is also trapping mosquitoes and testing them for the Zika virus. So far, none have come back positive. Miami took similar measures in 2010 when the city saw a number of dengue cases. Because it can cause birth defects including microcephaly, Zika is even more worrying.

Miami's head of mosquito control, Chalmers Vasquez, says he really wasn't surprised when health officials began investigating a possible locally acquired Zika case, because of the city's close contacts with the Caribbean and Latin America. He says: "The virus is flowing through Miami International Airport every day. There are thousands and thousands of people coming back into our area from those countries that may be affected, they may not be."

Vasquez says, "We're trying to be as aggressive as possible."

Officials in Florida are concerned about how much the Zika response will cost. This week, the White House announced it was sending $60 million in Zika funding to the states, including $5.6 million for Florida.

Much more will be needed, says Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor University. He's concerned Zika may already be established in mosquitoes in Florida, Texas and other states along the Gulf Coast. But so far, funds haven't been made available for intensive testing and surveillance.

"You have to have teams of people going into affected communities, community health centers, asking about fever and rash, and then taking a blood sample and testing it," Hotez says. "That requires some resources and it's not being done. I'm worried that we could be seeing quite a bit of Zika happening now. It's just that no one's looking."

The Obama administration is asking Congress for $1.9 billion to fund the fight against Zika, so far without success. And, at the height of mosquito season on the Gulf Coast, Congress has adjourned until after Labor Day.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/07/22/487078904/miami-steps-up-mosquito-control-efforts-after-suspected-zika-cases

 

[niman]

JULY 26, 2016 6:05 PM

Travel ruled out in Florida’s two suspected cases of local Zika infection

South Florida cases may be nation’s first spread by local mosquitoes

State health officials are investigation one case in Miami-Dade, one in Broward

Gov. Rick Scott said he’s disappointed Congress has not approved Zika funding

 

 

 

 

How Zika spreads (and who’s to blame) 1:13

 

 

 

 

 

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The mosquito kills nearly 750,000 people each year. Malaria is the cause for the majority of these deaths, but a Zika outbreak has the Americas scared of this insect. This is how the insect spreads disease to its victims. Sohail Al-Jamea and Meta Viers McClatchy

BY DANIEL CHANG

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Florida epidemiologists have ruled out travel as a possible source for two Zika infections — one in Miami-Dade and one in Broward — suspected of being the nation’s first cases transmitted by local mosquitoes, State Surgeon General Celeste Philip said Tuesday during a meeting with Gov. Rick Scott and health officials.

“The individuals do not have travel history themselves,” Philip said at the Broward health department in Fort Lauderdale. “That’s the only mode that we feel pretty certain has been ruled out.”

 

Interactive feature: Daily Florida Zika virus tracker

As state health officials reported six new Zika infections on Tuesday, raising the statewide total to 364 people affected this year, Philip asked for patience while Florida epidemiologists undertake the labor-intensive investigation.

She said investigators must identify where the infected individuals live, work and spend their free time — and then track down others who may have come into contact with them. Investigators also are going door-to-door in the Miami-Dade and Broward neighborhoods of the two infected people, interviewing residents and collecting urine samples for testing.

“We understand that there is an interest in knowing as much as possible as soon as possible,” Philip said. “But we have to get it right.”

She also stressed that researchers are still learning about the ways Zika is transmitted, including a recent report of the first female-to-male sexual transmission and a mysterious case in Utah where an elderly man with an unusually high viral load is suspected of spreading the virus to a caregiver.

Philip said the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dispatched a medical epidemiologist, Marc Fischer, to South Florida to help design studies and collect specimens in the testing areas, whose locations have not been disclosed by the health department.

Health department officials also have contacted obstetricians in the areas under investigation and encouraged them to test their pregnant patients for the virus, Philip said. Area blood banks will begin testing blood donations for the Zika virus in a few days, she said.

As the number of infections in Florida climbs almost daily, and the state has already reported its first baby born with a Zika-related birth defect, Scott expressed his “disappointment” with Congress for not yet approving emergency funding for states to combat spread of the disease.

“We are sort of the tip of the spear for the United States for Zika,” Scott said. “We all have to take this seriously.”

Last week, President Barack Obama spoke by phone with Scottabout the first suspected case of local transmission in Miami-Dade. The CDC awarded the state $5.6 million the same week. In June, Scott authorized spending up to $26.2 million in state funds to fight the Zika virus.

For questions about Zika, including health impacts, call the Florida health department hotline at 855-622-6735.

Daniel Chang: 305-376-2012, @dchangmiami

ZIKA INFECTIONS REPORTED IN FLORIDA AS OF JULY 26

County	Number of Cases
Alachua	5
Brevard	6
Broward **	53
Charlotte	1
Citrus	2
Clay	3
Collier	4
Duval	6
Escambia	1
Highlands	1
Hillsborough	10
Lake	1
Lee	6
Manatee	1
Martin	1
Miami-Dade **	96
Okaloosa	2
Okeechobee	1
Orange	38
Osceola	17
Palm Beach	15
Pasco	6
Pinellas	7
Polk	11
Santa Rosa	1
Seminole	11
St. Johns	3
St. Lucie	1
Volusia	5
Total cases not involving pregnant women	315

Cases involving pregnant women regardless of symptoms*

49

* Counties of pregnant women not disclosed.

** Does not include suspected cases of local transmission.

Source: Florida Department of Health

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article91990047.html

 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article91990047.html#storylink=cpy

 

[niman]

The woman who set off the Zika scare in Florida doesn’t have a clear connection to the neighborhood where the outbreak is believed to be concentrated. She hasn’t traveled to a country where Zika is circulating and she hasn’t had sex with anyone likely to be infected.

These confounding facts are also laced with potential danger. The woman in her early 20s is pregnant.

The woman is one of 21 cases health officials are grappling with in their efforts to understand and contain the first known mosquito-borne Zika outbreak in the continental U.S., according to an internal report on the investigation for health officials reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. She is also the first known pregnant woman likely infected in the U.S. by a mosquito bite, rather than from travel or sexual intercourse.

Referred to as Miami-Dade #1 for the county she lives in, the woman isn’t known to be connected to the “warning zone” of about a square mile in the neighborhood of Wynwood, just north of downtown Miami, that is now the focus of Florida and federal health investigators.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/pregnant-zika-victim-alerted-officials-to-florida-outbreak-1470821406