Florida authorities on Friday (July 29) reported what is believed to be the first evidence of local Zika transmission in the continental United States, concluding that mosquitoes likely infected four people with the virus that can cause rare but serious birth defects.
Governor Rick Scott said the state believed active transmission of the virus was occurring within an area of the city about the size of a square mile (2.6 square kms). Testing showed that one woman and three men had been infected, Scott said.
While health officials have yet to identify mosquitoes carrying the virus, the state has ruled out other means of transmission, including travel to another country with a ZIka outbreak, and sexual contact.