U.S. Identifies First Mosquitoes Carrying Zika in Florida

Washington — U.S. authorities said Thursday they have identified the first batch of mosquitoes infected with the Zika virus in Florida’s Miami-Dade County, where the first locally transmitted cases of Zika in the continental U.S. have been found.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said in a statement that three mosquito samples from a small area in the county’s Miami Beach tested positive for Zika.

The department has tested more than 2,470 mosquito samples, consisting of more than 40,000 mosquitoes, since May, and these three samples are the first to test positive.

“This find is disappointing, but not surprising,” the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam said. “This detection enables us to continue to effectively target our resources.”

The United States now has a total of 47 local Zika cases, all in Florida. Local officials insisted that ongoing active transmission is still only taking place within small areas identified in Wynwood and Miami Beach in Miami-Dade County. (PNA/Xinhua) FPV/EBP