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Zika Travel Cases Continue Showing Up Across The State

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Oxitec
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Two new locally transmitted Zika cases were reported Monday in Miami-Dade County, as the number of travel-related cases continues to mushroom across the state. The two local Miami-Dade cases brought to 30 the number of infections believed to have been caused by mosquito bites in South Florida.

But that number was dwarfed by 28 new travel-related cases Monday across the state. Health officials say those cases stem from people bringing the virus into Florida. The totals Monday included the first reported travel-related case in Marion County, according to the state Department of Health.

Zika, which first emerged last year in South America, is particularly dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. As of Monday afternoon, the state reported 440 travel-related infections and 59 infections involving pregnant women, along with the 30 locally transmitted cases.

Gov. Rick Scott said Monday that the Department of Health would send additional commercial pest-control companies to Miami-Dade to help with mosquito-control efforts.