Health Officials Investigate Zika Exposure In 2 New Cases
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Florida health officials are trying to find out where two people contracted the Zika virus from in Miami-Dade County.
They are part of three new non-travel related cases of the Zika virus, reported Friday. One of the cases is linked to Miami Beach but the other two, according to the Florida Department of Health, are under investigation to find out where the exposure occurred.
On Tuesday, Rep. Frederica Wilson questioned what type of message Florida Governor Rick Scott was sending by not visiting the non-tourist Zika zones. In fact, she said she was going to call him. Days later, the governor held a round table discussion in Little River.
Gov. Scott and his office have had a strained relationship with South Florida leaders, with some accusing him of playing politics. While Wilson told CBS4 News earlier in the week that federal dollars were ready to combat Zika, the governor said the complete opposite.
"We worked hard to get the federal funding of $1.1 billion, took trips to Washington to focus on that," said Scott. "We finally got that passed. We haven't seen those dollars yet. We have still been asking since August for 10,000 Zika prevention kits, similar to the kinds they've been sending to Puerto Rico. We haven't received those."
Then there's the communication between the governor and local leaders. Shortly before the governor's round table, the Miami City Commission held another Zika event introducing a new tool to help eradicate mosquitoes.
"The governor has told us about the new Zika zones maybe 10 minutes before he announced it to the public," said Miami City Commissioner chairman Keon Hardemon. "So the city of Miami is always in the dark when it comes to when there's a Zika zone that is being put within our area. So what we've been doing is trying to find ways to combat mosquitoes within our community."
The city is handing out 100 gadgets that attract and trap mosquitoes - the "Dynatrap" will be shared throughout the Zika zones.
"We're not saying that other methods are not effective, which we've seen them to be, but we're saying that we can add a new element to the fight against Zika that I believe will be something that the community will love," Hardemon added.
While there may be some strain between South Florida leaders and Tallahassee, they both agree that there is a fear that Zika is being overshadowed right now with the elections.
Zika 101: Prevent Spread By Protecting Yourself
As of Friday, Zika zones or places where the virus is said to have spread in Miami-Dade County include:
- Miami Beach Area - 28th Street to the north, 8th Street to the south, intercoastal water to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
- Miami Area - NW 79th St. to the North, NW 63rd St. to the South, NW 10th Ave. to the West and N. Miami Ave. to the East.
At last check, there were 169 non-travel related cases of Zika and 747 travel-related cases of the virus in Florida. About 111 pregnant women have been infected.
Click here for more information on the Zika virus or here for more Zika-related stories.
