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Miami's Wynwood district not seeing new Zika transmissions

Kai DambachSeptember 19, 2016

Local officials said the area which saw the first non-travel related case of Zika in the United States has not seen any new cases in over six weeks. But most of Miami is still considered an infection zone.

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USA Rick Scott in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Sladky
Florida Governor Rick Scott said there was no recorded local transmission of the Zika virus in Wynwood in 45 days on Monday.
"Everyone should be coming back here and enjoy themselves," said Scott at a press conference in Miami. "We had an issue, everybody took it seriously and we solved it."
The Wynwood neighborhood was the first site of a non-travel related instance of the Zika virus in the United States in July. Scott said with aggressive mosquito control, code enforcement, cooperation from residents and businesses that got rid of standing water helped stop the spread of the virus. Local officials expect the travel advisory for pregnant women and their partners warning them to avoid Wynwood will be lifted soon.
There is still a concern of the virus' spread in Miami. The state Health Department said the infection zone still includes much of the seven-mile long island on Friday. Florida Governor Scott said on Monday the federal government must approve spending in order to prevent further spread of the virus in Florida and elsewhere.
The Zika virus can lead to serious birth defects, including a smaller brain, eye defects, hearing loss and impaired growth. More than 700 possible Zika infections in the United States were reported in pregnant women by the Center for Disease Control.
kd/jil (AP, Reuters)