Two locally-contracted cases of Zika have been identified in Miami Beach, outside of the one-square mile area in Miami-Dade County where the first known cases of local mosquito-borne virus transmission occurred in the U.S., according to the Miami Herald.
The two new cases are tied to Miami Beach, City Manager Jimmy Morales confirmed in an email to city commissioners, according to the New York Times. One case is a tourist who visited Miami Beach two weeks ago and the other is a resident who works on the island.
While both non-travel related cases were found outside of the original outbreak site, Florida Department of Health officials said Thursday they still believe the active transmissions are only happening the initial one-square mile site.
However, health officials are considering whether to make the Miami Beach area a Zika-transmission zone, according to the New York Times.
The prospect of closing Miami Beach has been a major concern for officials, as the area is heavily dependent on tourism that draws in $24 billion annually. More than half of the hotels in Miami-Dade County are found in Miami Beach.
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"While we still believe local transmissions are only occurring in an area that is less than one square mile in Wynwood, our state is committed to remaining vigilant in our Zika prevention, education and response efforts," said Florida Governor Rick Scott in a statement.
At the moment, there are 35 locally-contracted Zika cases in Florida, and the state's Department of Health is actively conducting nine investigations outside of the one-square mile in Miami-Dade County; eight cases are located in Miami-Dade and one in Palm Beach.
Early Thursday, Miami Beach code compliance officers and public works officials were dispatched the transmission area to look for mosquito breeding sites, the Miami Herald explained. The Governor also said he directed the Department of Health to provide free mosquito spraying in the area.
The city is in constant communication with the health department to determine the most effective mosquito control, City Manager Jimmy Morales said in an email to the Herald.
"Our strategy has been and will continue to be focusing on the elimination of potential breeding sites and educating our residents and businesses on what they need to do," said Morales. "We're also working with the county and they are also inspecting and as needed mitigating through techniques like clean ups, larvicides and fogging."
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