Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday that the state Department of Health is lifting the Zika zone in Miami’s Little River neighborhood because 45 days have passed without any new local cases in the area.
“This is a good news day,” the governor said repeatedly. But he urged residents to remain vigilant. Zika infections have been linked to the birth defect microcephaly, which can cause intellectual disabilities, seizures and cerebral palsy.
"We want to make sure every child in our state -- we hope this for the entire nation and the entire world -- every child is born not having to deal with microcephaly," Scott said. "So we all have to continue to be aggressive."
Gov. Scott urged residents to continue to drain standing water and wear protective clothing and bug repellent -- especially during Art Basel this weekend.
Following Friday's announcement, the number of active Zika zones in Miami-Dade County is down to one. The remaining zone of active local transmission is a 1.5-square mile area on South Beach.
As of Thursday, Florida has 244 confirmed cases of locally transmitted Zika and 15 cases where the source of transmission is undetermined, according to a Health Department press release. In total, the state has 1,220 reported cases of Zika.
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