The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said Friday that another mosquito sample in Miami-Dade County has tested positive for the Zika virus. The positive test came from the same area of Miami Beach where four other samples have previously tested positive for Zika, department officials said.
The agency said it has taken 3,200 samples, consisting of more than 52,000 mosquitoes, since May. As of Thursday, the Florida Department of Health had reported 823 cases of Zika in Florida, 650 travel-related and 77 involving people who caught the virus in Florida. The state also separates pregnant women, either travel or no-travel related, into a single category, with 86 cases. Another 10 cases involved people who are not Florida residents.
Federal travel advisories have been issued for pregnant women to avoid two areas of Miami-Dade County where the virus has been detected. The virus is particularly dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects.
The positive test comes as Gov. Rick Scott on Friday authorized an additional $10 million in state money to help battle the Zika virus. Scott's office said the state money will be spent "as needed" on issues such as mosquito abatement, training for mosquito-control workers and the purchase of Zika prevention kits.
President Barack Obama early this year proposed spending $1.9 billion to combat Zika, but Congress has not been able to reach agreement on a funding plan
