Gov. Scott Meets With Health Officials Over Zika Battle
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Florida Gov. Rick Scott spent the day talking with Miami-Dade County health officials to discuss the actions being taken to prevent the spread of the zika virus in south Florida.
Scott said he's reached out to everyone, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to President Obama, to ask for help.
"There is federal funding. We need your help now. Not wait until we start to have babies with the impact of zika," said Gov. Scott.
The virus, spread by infected mosquitoes, can be especially dangerous to pregnant women and unborn children. The pandemic has swept through South America and is now making its way north.
Miami-Dade County has the most number of cases of infected individuals in the U.S.
"I declared a state emergency, for a public health emergency, back in the first part of February when we only had nine cases in four counties. We now have it in 20 counties," said Gov. Scott.
The CDC reports 172 cases in Florida. More than 51 are in Miami-Dade. And of the 172 cases, 38 are pregnant women.
"When we find an active case of zika, we do everything we can to stop any mosquitoes around there," said Scott. "Because the risk is, is that somebody with zika in our state gets bit by a mosquito and now if that mosquito bites you, then you have the risk of zika."
The governor said that with the upcoming Olympics in Brazil, a country plagued by the virus, it's especially important to south Florida to act now to stop the virus from spreading further.
"Think about it, half the flights out of South America still come through Miami. So if you're going to the Olympics, you're probably going through Miami. So we're gonna have all these individuals coming back from Brazil."
Scott also stressed the importance of protecting yourself, which includes making sure there isn't standing water around your home, as well as wearing protective clothing and mosquito repellent.