The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Tuesday that the North Miami Beach-designated area is no longer considered to be an area of active Zika virus transmission.
Federal health officials say no new cases of local Zika virus transmission identified in the North Miami Beach area for more than 45 days, suggesting that the risk of Zika virus infection in North Miami Beach is no longer greater than in the rest of Miami-Dade County prompting the designation as a Zika cautionary area.
The newly cleared area, which is about three miles, is between 28th to 63rd streets. The last known person contracted Zika in this area on September 27th. The remaining area of active Zika transmission in Miami Beach is about 1.5 square miles between 8th and 28th streets. The remaining area of active Zika transmission in Little River is about one square mile. The street boundaries are NW 79th St. to the North, NW 63rd St. to the South, NW 10th Ave. to the West and N. Miami Ave. to the East.
Florida Governor Rick Scott said, “I am proud to announce that three miles of the impacted area in Miami Beach have now been cleared of any ongoing active transmission of the Zika virus. DOH now believes active transmissions of Zika are only occurring in the southern part of Miami Beach and the Little River area and we must continue to take aggressive mosquito control measures so we can soon lift these remaining areas. DOH has made resources available to Miami-Dade County to increase mosquito abatement efforts, including aerial spraying. All of these resources should be taken into consideration by local officials and it is crucial that every decision is based on what will best protect our residents and visitors, and most importantly, pregnant women.
“We have committed every available resource, including more than $61 million in state funding to beat this virus. We waited nearly eight months for the federal government to fund the fight against Zika. While Congress passed and the president signed funding in September, we have waited nearly two months for the federal government to send only $7 million to help reimburse Florida’s costs. This is typical of Washington- they drag their feet, even when it comes to funding a public health emergency. While DOH continues to work through the bureaucratic and highly complex approval process for federal funding, I continue to request the federal government to expedite more funding to our state since Florida is the only state in the country with active transmission of the Zika virus. We are on the frontlines of this fight and we are requesting every dollar to be immediately made available to Florida. Although today’s announcement is great news, we must all remain vigilant and keep doing our part to wear bug spray and dump standing water.”
