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| No New Local Zika Transmissions in Florida, Governor Says | No New Local Zika Transmissions in Florida, Governor Says |
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| MIAMI — Four months after Zika roiled Miami-Dade County and put the rest of Florida on alert, Gov. Rick Scott announced on Friday that mosquitoes were no longer actively transmitting the virus in South Florida. | MIAMI — Four months after Zika roiled Miami-Dade County and put the rest of Florida on alert, Gov. Rick Scott announced on Friday that mosquitoes were no longer actively transmitting the virus in South Florida. |
| Shortly after the announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted its strictest advisory urging pregnant women not to travel to the heart of South Beach, a popular tourism destination. Instead it suggested caution. | Shortly after the announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted its strictest advisory urging pregnant women not to travel to the heart of South Beach, a popular tourism destination. Instead it suggested caution. |
| “Our state has no more local transmission of Zika,” Mr. Scott Scott said at a news conference outside a South Beach hotel. | |
| The federal health warning for South Beach was one of four issued for neighborhoods in Miami and Miami Beach, beginning Aug. 1 in Wynwood, which reported the first case of active Zika in the continental United States. Federal health officials can remove a travel advisory after an area goes 45 days without two or more reported cases of locally acquired Zika. | The federal health warning for South Beach was one of four issued for neighborhoods in Miami and Miami Beach, beginning Aug. 1 in Wynwood, which reported the first case of active Zika in the continental United States. Federal health officials can remove a travel advisory after an area goes 45 days without two or more reported cases of locally acquired Zika. |
| The lifting of the advisory came as the state swings into peak tourism season. It offers a respite from a crisis that walloped two of the county’s most popular destinations — Miami Beach and Wynwood, a gentrifying area of galleries and hipster hangouts. The crisis also sent local and state officials scrambling to blunt the spread of the virus, test anxious pregnant women, reassure tourists and allay the concerns of residents and businesses. In the end, hotels and other businesses took a short-term hit. | The lifting of the advisory came as the state swings into peak tourism season. It offers a respite from a crisis that walloped two of the county’s most popular destinations — Miami Beach and Wynwood, a gentrifying area of galleries and hipster hangouts. The crisis also sent local and state officials scrambling to blunt the spread of the virus, test anxious pregnant women, reassure tourists and allay the concerns of residents and businesses. In the end, hotels and other businesses took a short-term hit. |
| The number of locally transmitted Zika cases in the Miami area has dropped sharply, a result of both the county’s aggressive control efforts and the weather. Winter here brings the end of the rainy season and slightly lower temperatures, making it more difficult for the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito to survive. Isolated cases will continue to pop up. | The number of locally transmitted Zika cases in the Miami area has dropped sharply, a result of both the county’s aggressive control efforts and the weather. Winter here brings the end of the rainy season and slightly lower temperatures, making it more difficult for the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito to survive. Isolated cases will continue to pop up. |
| But the county is already preparing for the next Zika cycle, which is expected when the rains arrive in early summer. Zika is here to stay, at least for a while, health and mosquito control officials said, in part because of South Florida’s tropical climate and the large number of visitors and residents from countries like Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and the United States territory of Puerto Rico. Zika has also spread elsewhere on the mainland. In late November, Texas reported its first locally transmitted case of Zika, and four more were reported Friday. | |
| “The virus is endemic; it’s here now,” said Chalmers Vasquez, Miami-Dade County’s mosquito control manager. “But we have a good picture of what we are dealing with the next mosquito outbreak.” | “The virus is endemic; it’s here now,” said Chalmers Vasquez, Miami-Dade County’s mosquito control manager. “But we have a good picture of what we are dealing with the next mosquito outbreak.” |
| To try to stay ahead of the mosquitoes, the county has teams applying larvicide through the winter, inspecting properties and checking 63 traps to keep tabs on mosquito counts, said Paul Mauriello, deputy director for solid waste management for the county. The county hopes to double the number of traps in the next few weeks. Aedes aegypti eggs can survive the winter by sticking to the sides of containers, mosquito officials said. | To try to stay ahead of the mosquitoes, the county has teams applying larvicide through the winter, inspecting properties and checking 63 traps to keep tabs on mosquito counts, said Paul Mauriello, deputy director for solid waste management for the county. The county hopes to double the number of traps in the next few weeks. Aedes aegypti eggs can survive the winter by sticking to the sides of containers, mosquito officials said. |
| The rest of South Florida is also watching closely. In the Florida Keys, where Monroe County voters approved the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in a nonbinding referendum, Oxitec, a British biotech firm, is hoping to release its mosquitoes next year. Oxitec was embroiled in a long fight with residents of a tiny suburb of Key West called Key Haven — the designated site for the mosquitoes’ release. | The rest of South Florida is also watching closely. In the Florida Keys, where Monroe County voters approved the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in a nonbinding referendum, Oxitec, a British biotech firm, is hoping to release its mosquitoes next year. Oxitec was embroiled in a long fight with residents of a tiny suburb of Key West called Key Haven — the designated site for the mosquitoes’ release. |
| Concerned about the new technology, voters there rejected the plan in a separate referendum, scratching the project after it had received the approval of the Food and Drug Administration. Now the Keys mosquito control board commission is scouting new locations on the chain of islands and Oxitec is holding discussion with the federal agency about the changes, said Oxitec’s senior scientist, Derric Nimmo. | Concerned about the new technology, voters there rejected the plan in a separate referendum, scratching the project after it had received the approval of the Food and Drug Administration. Now the Keys mosquito control board commission is scouting new locations on the chain of islands and Oxitec is holding discussion with the federal agency about the changes, said Oxitec’s senior scientist, Derric Nimmo. |
| As of Thursday night, Florida had 1,244, or 27 percent of all the cases reported in the United States. Of those, 249 of the Florida cases were locally acquired. The overwhelming majority of the others were people infected outside the United States mainland. In total, 185 of the cases involved pregnant women. | As of Thursday night, Florida had 1,244, or 27 percent of all the cases reported in the United States. Of those, 249 of the Florida cases were locally acquired. The overwhelming majority of the others were people infected outside the United States mainland. In total, 185 of the cases involved pregnant women. |
| The situation in Puerto Rico, where the virus has proved far harder to control, is more serious. The island has 33,838 cases, almost all of them locally acquired. The disease is easily spread because few people have symptoms, making it hard to know they have been infected. Zika can also be sexually transmitted. | The situation in Puerto Rico, where the virus has proved far harder to control, is more serious. The island has 33,838 cases, almost all of them locally acquired. The disease is easily spread because few people have symptoms, making it hard to know they have been infected. Zika can also be sexually transmitted. |
| For pregnant women Zika can be a much bigger problem because they can pass the virus on to their fetuses, which can trigger serious brain abnormalities. Zika’s arrival in Florida prompted widespread apprehension in Miami. Some women moved out of state. Others left the house covered from neck to toe. Mr. Scott announced that pregnant women could receive free Zika testing, a generous offer but one that also caused considerable logjams and delays. | For pregnant women Zika can be a much bigger problem because they can pass the virus on to their fetuses, which can trigger serious brain abnormalities. Zika’s arrival in Florida prompted widespread apprehension in Miami. Some women moved out of state. Others left the house covered from neck to toe. Mr. Scott announced that pregnant women could receive free Zika testing, a generous offer but one that also caused considerable logjams and delays. |
| Dr. Christine Curry, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the University of Miami Health System, said two women in Florida have given birth to babies with either microcephaly or other Zika-related problems. But the university’s Zika response team continues to treat pregnant women. | Dr. Christine Curry, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the University of Miami Health System, said two women in Florida have given birth to babies with either microcephaly or other Zika-related problems. But the university’s Zika response team continues to treat pregnant women. |
| “The majority don’t have a recollection of symptoms or mosquito bites and are surprised the antibody test came back positive,” Dr. Curry said. | “The majority don’t have a recollection of symptoms or mosquito bites and are surprised the antibody test came back positive,” Dr. Curry said. |
| Zika’s arrival also hurt businesses in affected areas and tourism on Miami Beach, at least in the first three months. No neighborhood was more affected than Wynwood — where the first case was reported — which bore the brunt of a steep learning curve about the virus that the state and county faced in fighting the mosquitoes and the disease. | Zika’s arrival also hurt businesses in affected areas and tourism on Miami Beach, at least in the first three months. No neighborhood was more affected than Wynwood — where the first case was reported — which bore the brunt of a steep learning curve about the virus that the state and county faced in fighting the mosquitoes and the disease. |
| A one-square mile area of Wynwood was declared an active transmission zone, even though a handful of cases were reported and urban Aedes aegypti fly only 400 yards or so. This scared away regular visitors and tourists; business plummeted for restaurants, stores, galleries and bars. Most, however, have recovered and tourists swarmed the area for Art Basel’s fairs last weekend. | A one-square mile area of Wynwood was declared an active transmission zone, even though a handful of cases were reported and urban Aedes aegypti fly only 400 yards or so. This scared away regular visitors and tourists; business plummeted for restaurants, stores, galleries and bars. Most, however, have recovered and tourists swarmed the area for Art Basel’s fairs last weekend. |
| “When you create a map and boundaries, you say inside is a danger zone and outside is completely safe,” said Joe Furst, chairman of the Wynwood Business Improvement District. “You suffocate a neighborhood doing that.” | “When you create a map and boundaries, you say inside is a danger zone and outside is completely safe,” said Joe Furst, chairman of the Wynwood Business Improvement District. “You suffocate a neighborhood doing that.” |
| On Miami Beach, visits tumbled mostly in September, October and early November but other factors were also in play: Hurricane Matthew had a big impact; the number of hotel rooms has grown significantly in two years; Brazil’s economy is foundering; and the dollar is strong, discouraging international travel, said Rolando Aedo, a top executive at the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. Travel for large meetings was hit hardest by Zika. | On Miami Beach, visits tumbled mostly in September, October and early November but other factors were also in play: Hurricane Matthew had a big impact; the number of hotel rooms has grown significantly in two years; Brazil’s economy is foundering; and the dollar is strong, discouraging international travel, said Rolando Aedo, a top executive at the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. Travel for large meetings was hit hardest by Zika. |
| But the number of people traveling to Miami International Airport has bounced back. Data compiled by Allianz Global Assistance shows trips to Miami were down 12.6 percent in August compared with the period in 2015. By November, travel had picked up again by 3.8 percent. | |
| “It was something that everyone felt,” said the mayor of Miami Beach, Philip Levine, about the impact on hotels. “But it boomed back strong.” | “It was something that everyone felt,” said the mayor of Miami Beach, Philip Levine, about the impact on hotels. “But it boomed back strong.” |