Another case of locally transmitted Zika has been identified in Miami, the Florida Department of Public Health (Florida Health) announced today.
Florida Health said the case is within the 1 square mile of Miami-Dade county where 14 other locally transmitted Zika cases have been found. This brings the total of locally transmitted Zika cases in Miami to 16, with only 1 case identified outside the Wynwood neighborhood.
In its daily Zika update, Florida Health said, "This individual was tested as one of the 26 close contacts around the two original cases. This case is considered probable and has been sent to CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] for confirmatory testing, along with the three other probable cases."
Florida Health said active transmission is still occurring only in 1 square mile area north of downtown. Yesterday authorities completed testing of a 10-block area within the transmission zone, and of the 142 people tested, no one tested positive for Zika virus. So the agency removed that smaller area in the northwest quadrant from the official transmission zone.
Also, Florida Health said officials have tested 124 close contacts of the first case-patients discovered in Miami-Dade and Broward counties on Jul 29 and said none tested positive for Zika virus.
Yesterday, the CDC said the first aerial spraying campaign in Miami was successful and reduced some of the city's Aedes population of mosquitoes, Reuters reported today. Naled, an insecticide, was sprayed in the early hours of the morning.
Genetically modified mosquitoes closer to use
In other Zika news, a field trial for genetically modified mosquitoes engineered to reduce Aedes aegypti populations in Florida has the green light from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But the mosquitoes still need to meet state and local requirements before they can be used. If approved, the mosquitoes will be released in Key Haven, Florida.
The FDA announced today that it has completed an environmental review for the proposed field trial, saying it "will not have significant impacts on the environment." The review considered public comments and an environmental assessment.
Oxitec, Ltd, the manufacturer of the mosquitoes, submitted its proposal for public comment and assessment on Mar 11. The mosquitoes are engineered Aedes aegypti that produce offspring that die before they can reproduce. If Oxitec's bugs mix with native mosquito populations, they could help thin the population of Ae aegypti in Florida, which could reduce transmission of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses.
See also
Aug 5 Florida Health press release
Aug 5 Reuters story on spraying
Aug 5 FDA announcement
