Miami Beach Mosquitoes Test Positive For Zika
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (CBSNewYork)-- There's a troubling development in the fight against the Zika virus.
For the first time, mosquitos captured in the continental United States have tested positive for the virus, CBS2's Tiani Jones reports. Three of the mosquitos were found on Miami Beach in Florida.
Experts have warned for months now that Zika-infected mosquitos in Florida was a matter of when and not if. After all the Aedes mosquito, who carries Zika, can be found throughout the state.
"This is the cockroach of mosquitos. It will find its way somehow to breed and so we will continually have this battle especially after rain events," Miami Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said.
In what's becoming the norm in South Florida,Gimenez held a press conference with the latest Zika update. The difference today, not only are there people who've tested positive, but they've finally found mosquitos that test positive too.
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"This is a battle we continue to wage together. Unfortunately we got news today that three traps had come back with positive for Zika infected mosquitos-- that's out of 19 traps in Miami Beach and a number of traps we have in Miami Dade County," he said.
The big issue going forward is South Florida's multi-billion dollar tourism industry. The fear is that Zika headlines and news stories will soon begin to cut into bread and butter of the area's economy. But so far few negative effects are being felt.
"Revenue per available hotel rooms county wide is up. Revenue per available hotel room on Miami Beach is up," Bill Talbert-Greater, of the Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, said.