Sexually transmitted Zika case confirmed in Miami-Dade
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida health officials are reporting the first sexually transmitted case of Zika virus in Miami-Dade County in 2017, CBS Miami reports.
Florida's Department of Health said Friday that while the individual did not travel, their partner had recently traveled to several areas where Zika transmission could occur, including Cuba, an area with ongoing active transmission. The virus is commonly spread by mosquitoes in parts of Central and South America.
Both individuals have tested positive for Zika.
Health officials stress there is no evidence of ongoing, active transmission of Zika anywhere in Florida.
The total number of Zika cases in Florida this year is 205. Zika can cause severe birth defects in babies whose mothers were infected during pregnancy.
In 2016, Miami-Dade County air-dropped a controversial pesticide, Naled, in several neighborhoods after a handful of mosquito-borne cases were detected.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in May that it won't come to that again this year. He said the county has beefed up the mosquito control budget and are pushing community awareness.
"If you don't plan on having a child etc., it's still your personal responsibility to make sure you don't become a transmitter to somebody that does," Gimenez told CBS News in May. "That's what our message is here. All of us have to take care of all of us."
