Total number of people infected by Zika virus reaches 25 in Florida, USA.
The number of persons diagnosed positive of Zika virus in Miami, Florida continues to rise while efforts are underway in order to develop a vaccine against the virus.
Florida Health Department said Friday three additional people have been reported to have contracted the Zika virus in ongoing outbreak centered in northern Miami. It brings the total number of those infected to 25.
This outbreak is the first in which Zika virus infections have been linked to infected mosquitoes in the continental U.S.
The news of the additional cases came hours after Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced that mosquito control activities have reduced the size of the area where Zika transmission is ongoing in Florida.
Earlier Friday, officials from the governor’s office and the Florida Department of Health said the four square blocks in the Wynwood neighborhood in Miami have been cleared and therefore the size of the area where Zika transmission is believed to be ongoing has been reduced.
Health officials now believe all Zika virus transmission is occurring within an area less than a square mile in northern Miami.
The health department had previously mapped a square-mile area where it suspected the Zika virus was being transmitted via infected mosquitoes.
“We believe active transmissions of Zika are still only occurring in an area in Miami that is less than one square mile,” Scott said in a statement today. “Last week, we were able to clear a 10-block portion of the area and today, it’s great to announce that we are able to clear an additional four blocks. This means the area where we believe active transmissions are occurring in the state is significantly reducing.”
According to World Health Organization, Zika is rapidly spreading in the Americas because it is new to the region. People aren’t immune to it, and the Aedes mosquito that carries it is just about everywhere – including along the southern United States.
Canada and Chile are the only places without this mosquito.