Health Officials: Zika No Longer a Crisis in Miami Beach

MIAMI – The Florida Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention have advised that the spread of the Zika virus has halted for much of the Miami Beach area, which the agencies said has not experienced a new contraction in 45 days.

The announcement from Tuesday coincided with the visitation of Gov. Rick Scott to the region, much of which was placed under a travel warning to pregnant women by the CDC. Pregnant women who contract the virus are at risk for severe birth defects.

Gov. Scott said, "I am proud to announce that three miles of the impacted area in Miami Beach have now been cleared of any ongoing active tra only occurring in the southern part of Miami Beach and the Little River area and we must continue to take aggressive mosquito control measures so we can soon lift these remaining areas. DOH has made resources available to Miami-Dade County to increase mosquito abatement efforts, including aerial spraying."

While the spread of the virus in the U.S. has mostly come from contracting it in foreign countries such as Brazil, where Zika started and swept through the population, health agencies have tallied 236 people getting Zika in the Miami Beach area.

"We understand this has been a difficult time for Miami Beach residents and tourists and thank local and state officials for their hard work to interrupt the spread of the virus in the area," said CDC Director Tom Frieden in a statement.

Frieden added, "At this time, we are removing the red zone from North Miami Beach area but continuing the red zone for South Miami Beach. This means that we still advise pregnant women not to travel to the red zone in South Miami Beach. Furthermore, people living in or visiting Miami-Dade County, including Miami Beach, particularly pregnant women, are still encouraged to continue to take steps to prevent mosquito bites and to follow guidelines for preventing sexual transmission. We cannot let down our guard."