State health officials said Thursday that five more locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus have been found in Miami-Dade County, which has been hit hard by the mosquito-borne illness.
One of the new cases was linked to an area of Miami Beach where health officials have worked to prevent the spread of the virus. The other four involved Miami-Dade residents, and the state Department of Health said it is investigating to determine where they were infected.
In all, Florida has had 1,149 reported cases of Zika, with 222 involving local transmission. Other cases have involved people getting infected outside of Florida and bringing Zika into the state. The virus is particularly dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects.
