New Zika Zone Found in Miami

Florida has a new Zika zone — a one square mile area where the Zika virus is actively infecting people, state officials said Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned pregnant women to stay out of the neighborhood if possible.

It’s the third established outbreak in Miami, a hot zone for Zika because it has both the Aedes mosquitoes that spread the virus, and an influx of travelers from other areas where Zika is spreading.

Florida remains the only U.S. state with verified local transmission of the virus, which causes severe birth defects when pregnant women get it, and which can cause rare but often severe neurological effects.

Related: Zika's Damage Can Fool Parents

“Today’s announcement of a new area in Miami of ongoing local transmission of the Zika virus underscores the urgent need for federal funding to combat the Zika virus,” Florida governor Rick Scott said in a statement.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCentrist think tank warns 2028 Democrats against swinging too far left on immigration

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussia’s secrecy after a mysterious plague lab death raises global alarm

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBrad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

Slide 1 of 1

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCentrist think tank warns 2028 Democrats against swinging too far left on immigration

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussia’s secrecy after a mysterious plague lab death raises global alarm

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAfter surviving a botched lethal injection, Christa Pike faces unprecedented legal battle

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHunger in a land of plenty: Major food banks face ‘heartbreaking’ need, NBC News survey finds

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInflation and tariffs push U.S. holiday spending projections to a record $1.7 trillion

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat happened inside the room where officials tried to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection

FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow we reported the saga of the CIA officer and his gold-bar stash

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBrad Raffensperger gears up to oversee his final election in Georgia

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDiddy is punished following NBC News report on his VIP life in prison and contraband cellphone use

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Too young to vote, old enough to be tear gassed’: French protesters’ anger swells

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ gets aggressive in suing states that challenge Trump’s immigration policies

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJustice Department seeks criminal charge for former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘I just want to hold him’: USS Lincoln sailor to meet his 10-month-old son as ship docks

FOR SUBSCRIBERSSenate candidates run on raising Social Security taxes for higher incomes to prevent benefit cuts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRussian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

Slide 1 of 1

The mostly residential Little River neighborhood is north of the other affected areas.

Related: See Full NBC Coverage of Zika

Miami Beach also has an ongoing outbreak, although the state’s first Zika outbreak, in the Wynwood Arts District, was declared over after an intensive anti-mosquito spraying campaign.

“(The department of Health) has identified five people, two women and three men, in the new area,” Scott said.

“Three live in this one square mile area. The other two either work in or have visited this area.”

Related: Bug Spray and Bravado Keep Miami Beach Bustling

Florida has more than 1,000 verified cases of Zika infection, most carried in by travelers, but 174 of them caught locally. The state health department says 106 of the cases are in pregnant women.

The state announced two more home-grown cases Thursday. “One case is linked to the new area of local transmission in Miami-Dade County. The other case is a Broward County resident and the department is investigating to determine where exposure occurred,” the health department said.

The CDC issued a reminder of its travel advisory for pregnant women, those who might become pregnant, and their partners.

"Pregnant women should avoid travel to the newly designated area, in addition to the previously identified designated areas in Miami-Dade County, because active local transmission of Zika has been identified," it said in a statement.

"Pregnant women and their sexual partners who are concerned about potential Zika virus exposure may also consider postponing nonessential travel to all parts of Miami-Dade County," it added.

"All pregnant women in the United States should be evaluated for possible Zika virus exposure during each prenatal care visit. Each evaluation should include an assessment of signs and symptoms of Zika virus disease (acute onset of fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis [red eyes]); their travel history; as well as their sexual partner's potential exposure to Zika virus and history of any illness consistent with Zika virus disease to determine whether Zika virus testing is indicated."

• Add to Google

Pregnant and Worried About Zika? Some Tips

00:41

The CDC and other health experts say the best way to prevent Zika infection is to avert mosquito bites by using repellent, covering up and staying inside as possible. There's no vaccine against Zika and no treatment for the infection, which is usually mild.

“We have seen that aggressive mosquito control efforts have worked in areas like Wynwood and we hope the county also aggressively sprays in this area so we can limit the spread of this virus and protect pregnant women and their growing babies,” Scott said.