Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE The CDC is now advising pregnant women to avoid parts of Miami Beach, and all of Miami-Dade County, because of Zika concerns. Wochit 
 
 Municipal workers clean the streets in Miami Beach to control the spread of mosquitoes. Local authorities are taking steps to prevent an outbreak of Zika in the city while they are waiting to confirm Miami Beach as the new zone of the virus transmission. (Photo: CRISTOBAL HERRERA, EPA) 
 
 MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Pregnant women should now avoid a popular section of this tourist district where Zika is spreading, in addition to a smaller area north of downtown Miami, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday. 
 
 Pregnant women and their sexual partners who are concerned about the virus could also consider avoiding "nonessential travel" to all of Miami-Dade County, according to the CDC. Although Zika mostly spreads through mosquito bites, both men and women can transmit the virus sexually. 
 
 Florida health officials, who have been grappling with a Zika outbreak in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, confirmed Friday that five people also have been infected in South Beach, the vibrant community that's located across Biscayne Bay from the rest of Miami and known for its pastel-colored buildings and art deco architecture. 
 
 The new cases bring the total number of infections spread by local mosquitoes to 36, Gov. Rick Scott said. The five latest patients were infected within a 1.5 square mile area of Miami Beach, said Scott, whose state is the first to experience a Zika outbreak from native mosquitoes. The bulk of the USA's more than 2,200 cases of the virus are related to travel. 
 
 The affected area of Miami Beach stretches from the beach to the Intracoastal Waterway, from 8th Street to 28th Street, Scott said. 
 
 People who live in or who have traveled to this area since July 14 should be "aware of active Zika virus transmission," the CDC said. Pregnant women who have been to this area since that date should see their doctor or other healthcare provider about getting tested for Zika. Men and women with a pregnant sex partner who have visited the area since July 14 "should consistently and correctly use condoms to prevent infection during sex or avoid having sex for the duration of the pregnancy." 
 
 The CDC recommends all pregnant women be assessed for possible exposure to Zika virus, although not all of them need to be tested. Testing for Zika is time-consuming and the number of lab staff available to perform the tests is limited. 
 
 Mosquitoes could be spreading the virus in other areas in Miami-Dade County that haven't yet been recognized, said CDC Director Thomas Frieden. "There are undoubtedly more infections that we’re not aware of right now," he said. 
 
 Frieden notes that 80% of Zika patients have no symptoms, making the disease difficult to diagnose. Patients can incubate the virus for up to two weeks before showing signs of the disease, which can include fever, rash, joint pain, pink eye, headache and other problems. 
 
 The CDC took the unprecedented step earlier this month to warn pregnant women to avoid the Wynwood neighborhood that's located north of downtown. The area of concern in Wynwood has since shrunk as officials investigated the outbreak. 
 
 Pregnant women are at greater risk than others from Zika because the virus can cause devastating birth defects in fetuses, including serious brain damage. "I ask every Floridian to take proper precautions," Scott said. 
 
 "We all have to do our part to wear bug spray and dump standing water," where mosquitoes can breed, he added. "If you see standing water, no mater how small, dump it." 
 
 The new Miami Beach cases include two people from Miami Beach, one from New York, one from Texas and one from Taiwan. 
 
 Florida "will do everything we can to help pregnant women all across our state. We have a safe state and we are going to keep it that way," Scott said. 
 
 Scott, who has requested additional help from the CDC to deal with the outbreak, said officials are taking aggressive mosquito-control measures. 
 
 The large number of high-rise buildings in Miami Beach makes it difficult to kill mosquitoes by spraying from the air, Frieden said. That's because the airplanes that spray pesticide tend to fly at altitudes of only about 100 feet. Mosquito-control workers will likely have to spray pesticides by hand, using "backpack" pesticide containers. The pesticides used in Wynwood appear to kill about 90% of mosquitoes hit with the spray. 
 
 A member of the National Health Foundation fumigates against the Aedes aegypti mosquito in Brazil. (Photo: EVARISTO SA, AFP/Getty Images) 
 
 "We're just impressed by the resilience of this mosquito," Frieden said. "It's a tough mosquito to spray." 
 
 Scott has asked the CDC for an additional 5,000 Zika antibody test kits "to ensure we can quickly test people for the virus and additional lab support personnel to help us expedite Zika testing," he said. He has also asked the Obama administration for an additional 10,000 Zika prevention kits. Scott said he's waiting for a "detailed plan" on how to work with FEMA. 
 
 At least 529 pregnant women in the continental U.S. and Hawaii have been infected with Zika, according to the CDC. Seventeen American women have given birth to babies with Zika-related birth defects and six have lost pregnancies due to the disease, according to the CDC. 
 
 More than 13,000 people have been diagnosed with Zika in Puerto Rico, including at least 1,106 pregnant women, according to the Puerto Rico health department. About 100 Puerto Ricans with Zika have been hospitalized and two have died. 
 
 Szabo reported from McLean, Va., for USA TODAY. Freeman reports for the Naples (Fla.) Daily News. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2bHUTD2 ||||| New Zika Outbreak Hits Popular Tourist Destination Of Miami Beach 
 
 Enlarge this image toggle caption Alan Diaz/AP Alan Diaz/AP 
 
 Mosquitoes have begun spreading the Zika virus in a second part of Miami — the popular tourist destination of Miami Beach — Florida officials announced Friday. 
 
 As a result, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded its advice to travelers, advising pregnant women to avoid the parts of Miami Beach where the virus is spreading. In addition, women and men who have traveled to the area should wait at least eight weeks to try to get pregnant even if they didn't catch Zika during their visit. 
 
 The agency also went a step further, advising pregnant women and their sexual partners "who are concerned about potential Zika virus exposure" that they "may also consider postponing nonessential travel to all parts of Miami-Dade county." 
 
 That decision to issue a warning about the entire city was prompted by the agency's concern that there may be other outbreaks in other parts of Miami-Dade that haven't been identified yet, CDC Director Thomas Frieden told reporters during a briefing. 
 
 "What we are doing is stepping back and saying, 'There have now been multiple instances of local transmission,' " Frieden said. "We will always err on providing more information to the public." 
 
 Five Zika cases have been linked to the new outbreak in Miami Beach, involving three men and two women from Miami, New York, Texas and Taiwan, officials said. That brings the total number of Zika cases that have been spread by mosquitoes in Florida to 36. 
 
 "We believe we have a new area where local transmissions are occurring in Miami Beach," Gov. Rick Scott told reporters at a news conference. 
 
 Officials believe the virus is only spreading in a 1 1/2 mile part of Miami Beach, but that area includes the much-visited South Beach area, Scott said. 
 
 The tourism industry in Florida is particularly concerned with the spread of Zika and the impact it may have on businesses. On Thursday, Scott announced measures designed to limit Zika, including offering mosquito spraying free of charge to businesses in Miami-Dade County. 
 
 "Tourism is a driving force of Florida's economy and this industry has the full support of our state in the fight against the Zika virus," Scott said in a statement. 
 
 The new outbreak comes as officials believe they are bringing the first outbreak in the trendy Wynwood neighborhood under control. Officials announced Friday they had cleared three new blocks of Wynwood because there is "no continued evidence of transmission" there. Fourteen blocks had been cleared earlier. 
 
 But Frieden noted that officials expect it will be harder to contain the outbreak in Miami beach for several reasons. The area's high-rise buildings mean the aerial spraying that has been working in Wynwood won't work in Miami Beach. In addition, it will be more difficult to convince people to wear long sleeves and pants in a part of the city where people go to spend time on the beach, he said. 
 
 The Wynwood outbreak prompted the CDC to take the unprecedented step of advising pregnant women to stay away from the area. It was the first time the CDC had ever advised people to avoid any part of the continental United States because of an infectious disease. 
 
 In response to the Miami Beach outbreak, Scott said he had requested an additional 5,000 Zika tests, additional lab personnel to expedite testing and 10,000 more Zika prevention kits for pregnant women. 
 
 Separately, Puerto Rico is reporting a surge in Zika cases. The island's health department said Friday that 2,496 more cases had been confirmed in Puerto Rico over the last week. That marks the highest weekly tally since the virus was first detected on the island in December. The health department also announced the first death in Puerto Rico from Guillain-Barre syndrome linked to Zika. 
 
 The latest cases bring the total number of laboratory confirmed Zika cases in Puerto Rico to 13,186. Of those, 1,106 are pregnant women. 
 
 Jason Beaubien contributed to this report. ||||| Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) said on August 19 that officials have identified a new area of Zika virus transmission through local mosquitoes in a small area in Miami Beach, the second area in Miami-Dade County where the Zika virus is spreading. (Reuters) 
 
 Florida Gov. Rick Scott confirmed Friday that the Zika virus is being spread locally by mosquitoes in Miami Beach, a development that marks an expansion of the outbreak in South Florida and immediately prompted a new travel advisory by federal officials. 
 
 "We believe we have a new area where local transmissions are occurring in Miami Beach,” Scott said at a noon press conference. 
 
 This area covers about 1.5 square miles between 8th and 28th streets and between the beach and Intracoastal Waterway -- a stretch that encompasses the vibrant, densely packed South Beach tourist district. It also encompasses the Miami Beach Convention Center, which is set to host the Asia America Trade Show for vendors around the world starting Sunday. 
 
 Health officials said at least five people have been infected with Zika in this area, including two who live in Miami Beach. One person from Texas, one from New York and another from Taiwan have returned home after being infected while in Miami Beach. 
 
 “This situation is very unfortunate. It’s not something we’d wish upon any community,” Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine said. 
 
 [Zika can infect adult brain cells, not just fetal cells, study suggests] 
 
 The news marks a second front in Miami's fight against local transmission of the virus. Previously, officials had pinpointed local infections in a one-square-mile area north of downtown Miami known as Wynwood. That prompted federal health authorities to urge pregnant women not to visit the area, the first time they ever had warned against travel to a part of the continental United States because of the outbreak of an infectious disease. 
 
 
 
 Source: Florida Gov. Rick Scott. THE WASHINGTON POST 
 
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quickly issued a second travel advisory Friday afternoon, saying pregnant women should also avoid the designated area of Miami Beach. The agency said that pregnant women who live in the area or have to travel there should take extra precautions to guard against mosquito bites, including wearing repellent. It gave the same direction for these women's sexual partners. 
 
 In a call with reporters Friday, CDC director Tom Frieden said Miami Beach presents a difficult situation for health officials trying to halt the Zika outbreak. The area has a constant stream of visitors, many of them international, who could carry the virus elsewhere should they get infected. 
 
 [Zika and the race to quell outbreaks: My talk with Anthony Fauci, NIH’s top vaccine expert] 
 
 In addition, the low-flying planes that have been spraying specialized insecticide over Wynwood cannot do so over Miami Beach because of the high-rise buildings that front the Atlantic Ocean and often windy conditions. And the city's South Beach is a beach, after all, notorious for skimpy bikinis and a general lack of clothing at all hours. 
 
 "The amount of exposed skin also makes it harder to prevent infections there," Frieden said. "We think this will be a challenging area." 
 
 Scott said Miami-Dade County already had begun an intensified mosquito control campaign in Miami Beach. He sought to reassure state residents -- and especially the tourism industry -- that his administration was doing everything possible to combat more spread of the virus. He said the state would be requesting more resources from the CDC, including additional Zika testing kits. 
 
 "Tourism is a driving force of our economy, and this industry has the full support of our state in the fight against the Zika virus," Scott said. "We want to do all we can to ensure Florida remains safe for businesses and our families." 
 
 The mayor reiterated similar points late in the afternoon, stressing local officials’ stepped-up mosquito control efforts. “The last thing I’d want to be in Miami Beach right now is a mosquito,” Levine said. 
 
 And William Talbert III, president of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, voiced confidence that officials would be able to control the outbreak, that tourists would continue to come given the relatively modest risks to everyone but pregnant women and that the area’s economy would not suffer a serious blow. 
 
 The tourism industry employs more people than any other locally. "We've had a record summer," Talbert said. 
 
 But while Frieden praised the work of Florida officials and said intense spraying and other efforts had killed many mosquitoes in the Wynwood neighborhood, he noted that the Aedes aegypti mosquito primarily responsible for spreading Zika is resilient. 
 
 "It's a tough mosquito to kill," he said. "This is truly the cockroach of mosquitoes." 
 
 On Thursday, Scott's office adamantly disputed reports that mosquitoes were transmitting Zika in Miami Beach, despite multiple health officials telling reporters that indeed was the case. In his press conference Friday, the governor faced questions about whether he had tried to obscure evidence of an expanding outbreak, in part to protect the state's massive tourism industry. 
 
 He said that state health investigators had only finished their inquiry into the new cases Friday morning and that he had rushed to Miami to deliver the news and meet with local leaders. 
 
 "We’re going to provide timely accurate information for public health," Scott said. "I want everybody in this state to stay safe. I want our visitors to stay safe." 
 
 The virus, which has now spread to 70 countries, has been linked to a rare and severe birth defect known as microcephaly, which in newborns is characterized by an abnormally small head and often underdeveloped brain, as well as an array of other fetal abnormalities. In rare cases, Zika also has been linked in adults to Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that can cause paralysis and even death. 
 
 Nationally, there are more than 2,200 confirmed Zika cases in the states and more than 8,000 in U.S. territories, the vast majority of those in Puerto Rico. The CDC is tracking 529 pregnant women with the virus nationwide and nearly 700 in those territories. 
 
 The Obama administration has sought nearly $2 billion in emergency appropriations to help fight the spread of Zika, but Congress has been deadlocked for months and left for its summer recess without approving any funding. The administration recently announced plans to reallocate $81 million from other programs at the National Institutes of Health and elsewhere. Still, officials said, the money being used to combat Zika "will be virtually exhausted by the end of the fiscal year” on Sept. 30. 
 
 Friday afternoon, the Florida Department of Health reported a total 488 travel-related cases of Zika and 36 locally acquired cases. Sixty-eight cases involve pregnant women. In Miami-Dade, the agency has identified at least four cases of apparently mosquito-borne Zika that occurred outside of the two areas identified for active transmissions. 
 
 Celeste Philip, Florida's surgeon general, said Friday that officials have not yet determined where those isolated cases contracted Zika. 
 
 "It’s like solving a mystery, it takes time for us to look at all that information and makes connections," Philip said. She added, "I want to assure everyone that if we identify local areas of transmission, we will alert the public and the media immediately." 
 
 The clusters of outbreaks around Miami are not a surprise to many health experts, who anticipated that the Zika virus would be tricky to contain after it began spreading locally in the United States. While the Aedes aegypti travels no more than about 500 feet in its lifettime, people have the capacity to quickly carry the virus to the far ends of the globe. 
 
 "There are undoubtedly more infections that we are not aware of right now," Frieden said, noting that roughly 80 percent of people infected by Zika never experience symptoms such as fever, rash or joint pain. "We can't predict how long this will continue, but we do know that it will be difficult to control." 
 
 The Post's Brady Dennis talks with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about the process of getting a potential Zika vaccine tested and ready for the public. (Video: The Washington Post/Photo: Sammy Dallal for The Washington Post) 
 
 Read more: 
 
 Zika can infect adult brain cells, not just fetal cells, study suggests 
 
 NIH to begin testing Zika vaccine in humans 
 
 Obama administration to shift $81 million to fight Zika
– Mosquitoes are spreading Zika in a whole new area of Miami, the CDC announced Friday. USA Today reports five new cases of mosquito-spread Zika have popped up in a 1.5-square-mile area of Miami Beach, including popular tourist area South Beach. In fact, three of the five patients were visiting Miami Beach when they contracted Zika, according to the Washington Post. There have now been 36 cases of mosquito-spread Zika in Miami. Mosquitoes had already been confirmed to be spreading the virus in the Wynwood neighborhood, which is several miles and a bay away from Miami Beach. Officials believe they have the situation under control in Wynwood, NPR reports. But it will be more difficult to contain the Zika outbreak in Miami Beach due to its high-rise buildings and aversion to long pants and sleeves. Officials are warning pregnant women who've visited Miami Beach since July 14 to consider being tested for Zika. Couples who've traveled to the area should wait at least eight weeks before trying to get pregnant. Officials believe it's likely mosquitoes are spreading Zika elsewhere in Miami, and the CDC is warning pregnant women to "consider postponing nonessential travel to all parts of Miami-Dade County."