There are 26 travel-related Zika cases in Florida, according to the latest information from the Florida Department of Health.
Central Florida is now up to three Zika cases. The virus has shown up in Brevard, Osceola and Orange counties.
On Thursday, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Brevard County’s first Zika case. The virus was caught while traveling to Haiti.
Brevard has been added to the list of counties with a declared state of health emergency, and county officials vowed to increase mosquito control efforts.
Zika is a mild virus, with most people never showing symptoms. But scientists in Latin America fear the virus may be causing an increase in microcephaly, a severe birth defect.
So far, all of Florida’s 26 Zika cases were caught while traveling abroad. Here’s a list from the Florida Department of Health on where Floridians are contracting Zika:
- Venezuela
- Nicaragua
- Colombia
- Haiti
- Brazil
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- El Salvador
- Costa Rica
- Puerto Rico
Reporter Abe Aboraya is a reporter with WMFE in Orlando. WMFE is a partner with Health News Florida, which receives support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
