CDC Issues Zika Advisory For Miami Area

The Aedes aegypti mosquito. Photo: James Gathany

Federal health officials on Monday issued a travel advisory for a Miami neighborhood after Florida confirmed 10 more cases of the Zika virus spread by local mosquitoes. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are advising expectant mothers and women planning on becoming pregnant to avoid a one-square-mile area just north of downtown Miami, including the Wynwood neighborhood and Midtown. The CDC is also recommending women who have visited the area on or after June 15 avoid getting pregnant for at least eight weeks.

It’s believed to be the first time that the CDC has advised people to avoid travel to an area in the continental United States.

The latest development now brings the total number of Zika cases in Miami-Dade County to 12, with an additional two cases in Broward County. A federal emergency response team will head to the area to control the outbreak, at the request of Florida Governor Rick Scott.

Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the CDC, said the Aedes aegypti species of mosquito responsible for transmitting the virus seems to be resistant to control measures.

“Nothing that we’ve seen indicates widespread transmission,” he said at a press briefing, “but it’s certainly possible there could be sustained transmission in small areas.”

Until now, all Zika cases in the United States have been diagnosed in people who either traveled overseas or had sexual intercourse with a traveler.

Miami – which welcomed more than 100 million visitors last year – is a major entry port for cruises and flights, as well as a popular leisure destination. So far, Britain’s health agency has issued a similar advisory to pregnant women to “consider postponing nonessential travel to affected areas until after the pregnancy.”

Dr. Andrew O. Coggins, Jr., clinical professor of management with a focus on hospitality and tourism management at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business in New York, doesn’t believe the warning will have an effect on tourism in the area. “It’s in a relatively small area of Miami that is off the normal tourist circuit,” he said. However, he expects that to change if the number of cases or affected area increases.