Florida Zika Exports On The Rise

The recent cluster of Zika cases in Wynwood coupled with local transmissions in Broward, Palm Beach, and four Miami-Dade county cases raised concerns that Florida would begin exporting Zika cases, signaling a dire local situation.

The initial reports on Wynwood cited Zika PCR detection in 6 urine samples from 52 asymptomatic residents. Subsequent reports indicated some employees at the index location showed symptoms in early June, so PCR testing of August samples would have missed infections in June and early July.  Reports also noted that 14 of 30 employees at the index location had shown symptoms, also signaling a major Zika outbreak that was missed due to a focus on testing cases with recent travel to countries with local Zika cases.

Moreover, investigations of new local cases has been limited.  Instead testing focused on areas at the edge of the 1 mile transmission zone and press releases cited Florida;s beliefs that active transmission was limited to Wynwood, where 22 Zika cases have been lab confirmed.

Now Zika exports have been reported in El Paso, Texas as well as New Taipai City in Taiwan.  Both cases had been in Miami-Dade Country prior to development of symptoms.

Yesterday, after the case in El Paso, the Florida update showed that no samples had been collected or tested in the local cases, both outside and inside of Winwood