MIAMI -- Thinking of going to Florida? You may want to delay your plans if you want to have kids in the near future.
After 15 cases of locally-transmitted Zika were confirmed in Miami on Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Protection issued a warning that women who want to get pregnant in the next two months should avoid travel to the south Florida city. All 15 cases appear to have come from local mosquito bites, the first such cases in the United States unrelated to travel or sex.
All 15 cases came from the Wynwood arts neighborhood in Miami, which is 1 square mile, so the specific travel warning is for that area of downtown Miami.
CDC Director Tom Frieden said Tuesday it's proving hard to eradicate mosquitoes, and it is possible the mosquitoes are resistant to the insecticide being used. He added that mosquito control is difficult in the Wynwood neighborhood because it has industrial, commercial and residential development. The mosquito that carries the virus is generally difficult to eradicate.
Connecticut DPH Commissioner Raul Pino reissued the CDC's warning, saying, "There is so much we have yet to learn about Zika virus, but we do know that it can cause lifelong, devastating birth defects in some children born to mothers infected with Zika," and DPH asks that you remember that "while Zika virus causes only mild symptoms in most people," the effects on fetuses are much more extensive.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal added on Wednesday, "Parts of the United States of America have been declared unsafe for women who are pregnant. When has that ever happened before in our history?"
Meanwhile, also on Tuesday, the state was granted an additional $400,000 in funding to fight Zika, just one day after getting a federal grant for $580,000. Both come from the CDC but are going to slightly different causes.
