Zika Virus Found in Miami-Dade Mosquitoes; Florida Leaders Want Congress to Act

MIAMI BEACH, FL — The state of Florida on Thursday confirmed that some mosquitoes from the Miami Beach area have tested positive for the Zika virus.

According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the positive results came from three mosquito samples collected within a small area of Miami Beach. The samples were taken from the area where intensified mosquito control efforts have been underway following the investigation of local transmission of the virus. The Florida Department of Health is leading that investigation.

While three samples tested positive, the state reported than 95 others taken from the Miami-Dade County area did not.

The positive find, however, is “disappointing, but not surprising,” Agriculture Commissioner Adam H. Putman said in a Thursday statement about the positive test results. “Florida is among the best in the nation when it comes to mosquito surveillance and control, and this detection enables us to continue to effectively target our resources.”

Efforts to stop local transmission are a priority for lawmakers like Miami Beach’s Mayor Philip Levine and U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan.

“Miami Beach will continue to take a hardline in our fight against Zika,” Levine said in a statement.

Levine said the city is working with state and county agencies to stomp out mosquito breeding grounds.

“Together we can contain and eliminate all cases of Zika,” Levine said. “We need Congress to do its part to provide the necessary emergency resources to properly combat the spread of this virus.”

Buchanan, a Republican from the Sarasota area, sent a letter to congressional leaders Thursday morning calling for an immediate vote on emergency Zika funding when Congress returns to Washington, D.C., next week.

“Hundreds of people have been infected in my home state of Florida as the disease continues to spread,” Buchanan wrote. “Our nation’s leading health officials at the Centers for Disease Control have made clear they need money now to contain Zika and develop a vaccine.”

U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Tom Frieden has said his agency’s “cupboard is bare. Basically, we are out of money and we need Congress to act.”

Earlier this year, President Obama pitched a $1.9 billion emergency funding package to help fight the spread of the Zika virus in the United States. While that proposal received some support from both Democrats and Republicans, the issue ultimately became bogged down in Congress. A bipartisan compromise bill was eventually floated, but failed. Another attempt was made before the summer recess, but that, too, failed due to disputes about provisions that would have restricted funding for birth control in the United States and Puerto Rico, NBC reported. The failed July bill also represented a significant reduction in Obama’s requested $1.9 billion with only about $1.1 billion allotted.

Congress goes back in session on Sept. 6. Buchanan and Levine would like to see action taken at that time.

“Congress must put aside partisan differences and come together immediately to protect the public,” Buchanan wrote. “The situation in Florida worsens each week, and now looming rainfall from tropical storms threaten to create a fertile breeding ground for the mosquitoes that carry the virus.”

The CDC has confirmed 2,517 reported cases of Zika in the United States, including 584 pregnant women. In Florida, there were 569 travel-related cases confirmed by FDOH as of Wednesday, along with 80 infections involving pregnant women. The total number of non-travel related infections was up to 47, including one in Pinellas County. The Pinellas County case has prompted lawmakers there to request federal permission to use genetically modified mosquitoes to help combat the virus’ spread.

Zika is a mosquito-borne illness that presents with a fever, joint pain and rash. The illness typically goes away within a week, but some cases may require hospitalization. Zika may also be spread through sexual contact, health officials say.

The CDC has confirmed that the Zika virus is responsible for causing severe defects in unborn children, including microcephaly, which leaves babies with abnormally small heads and often with brains that do not develop properly.

The CDC recommends women who are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant postpone travel to areas where there is widespread Zika infection.

To help residents resolve questions about the virus and its spread, the state of Florida has set up a Zika Virus Information Hotline at 1-855-622-6735. More information may also be found on the FDOH website.

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