MIAMI BEACH, FL (NBC News/WCMH) — The small outbreak of Zika virus in Florida has spread, with government officials announcing five cases in popular Miami Beach Friday.
The virus, usually a danger only to unborn children, now threatens Florida’s crucial tourism industry.
The affected area is a one and a half mile section which includes much of popular South Beach, now shrouded in a fog of mosquito repellent.
The Centers for Disease Control and prevention says pregnant women should stay away from the impacted area.
“The key here is pregnant women. Pregnant women are at the greatest risk because of the risk of microcephaly and other serious birth defects,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden says.
Florida health officials say that at least 36 people have been infected in the state, including the five people infected in the Miami Beach area.
None of the people infected in Miami Beach have traveled to Zika-infected regions, which suggests that mosquitos in the area of Miami Beach are infected and spreading the virus.
“We believe we have a new area where local transmission is occuring in Miami Beach,” Scott said. “Active transmission is happening between 8th and 28th streets, an area just under 1.5 (square) miles.
Scott Weaver, the Director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston says that the question is how much the spread of Zika will continue in Florida and other parts of the southern U.S.
“We are probably going to see more cases and we are probably peaking in terms of risk of transmission,” he said.What others are clicking on: