The Florida Department of Health Tuesday announced that Florida Zika cases have now exceeded 1,000.
There are eight new travel-related cases with four in Broward, two in Pinellas, one in St. Lucie and one involving a pregnant woman, as well as one new non-travel related case linked to Miami-Dade County, which brings the total to 1,002.
The department is currently conducting 16 active investigations, and has closed 26 investigations.
DOH has conducted Zika virus testing for more than 8,928 people statewide. Florida has the capacity to test 5,957 people for active Zika virus and 7,130 for Zika antibodies.
Gov. Rick Scott also announced DOH will allocate $7.4 million in additional state funding to Miami-Dade County to combat the spread of the Zika Virus through mosquito control.
The funding will be used for additional mosquito control staff and increased mosquito spraying. This funding is part of the $61.2 million in state funds Scott authorized for Zika preparedness since June. To date, Miami-Dade has received $12.6 million in state funds.
“We are working to aggressively fight this virus, but it is clear that more resources are needed to keep Floridians safe,” Scott said in a news release. “While Congress passed funding to fight Zika, we have not received any yet in Florida. Today, I directed DOH to immediately allocate $7 million in state funding to Miami-Dade County to ensure the community can continue aggressively fighting this virus.”
“We also still have multiple outstanding requests to the Obama Administration for important Zika preparedness resources. Every day that passes that Florida does not receive funding or resources means more time is lost from researching this virus and protecting pregnant women and their developing babies. Our state will continue to dedicate every available resource to keeping pregnant women and their developing children safe and healthy.”
