Amid media reports of a new Zika transmission area—Miami Beach—Florida health officials today announced two new locally acquired infections in Miami-Dade County without confirming that the disease is spreading outside of an already-known small area of the Wynwood neighborhood.

The Florida Department of Health (Florida Health) said there are now 35 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus in Florida, 10 of them from outside the less than 1-square-mile area that has been identified north of downtown.

The Miami Herald cited unnamed public health officials who said active transmission has spread to Miami Beach,one of Miami’s most tourist-friendly neighborhoods. The Herald said more than half of the hotel rooms in Miami-Dade County are located in Miami Beach, and city officials feared that active Zika transmission in Miami Beach could lead to a huge loss of tourist dollars.

In a statement a few hours later, Gov Rick Scott acknowledged the two new local cases, but didn't confirm a new transmission area. Though Scott's statement did not mention Miami Beach, it did focus on Zika's potential to wreck havoc on Florida’s tourism industry. He also offered tools for addressing the Zika threat, such as educational materials and mosquito spraying at no cost to businesses.

"Tourism is a driving force of Florida’s economy and this industry has the full support of our state in the fight against the Zika virus," said Scott. "We will continue to work closely with our businesses and the tourism community to ensure their needs are met."

Florida Health did not immediately return CIDRAP News' request for information regarding active transmission in Miami Beach.

An update from Florida Health said nine active investigations are underway, eight of them outside the Wynwood hot spot. Seven of the locations outside the defined areas are in Miami-Dade County and one is in Palm Beach County.

2 more countries confirm Zika-linked microcephaly

In other Zika news, two more countries, Haiti and Guatemala, now have confirmed cases of microcephaly linked to Zika virus. Microcephaly, a severe birth defect that causes a baby to be born with a smaller-than-average brain, is one if the most dire outcomes associated with the mosquito-borne illness.

According to Reuters, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed yesterday that one of 14 cases of microcephaly in Haiti was caused by prenatal infection with Zika virus. In March, the country reported only two microcephaly cases, and the increase hints that Zika virus is more widespread in Haiti than previously thought.

Guatemala also reported their first confirmed microcephaly case on Wednesday. Reuters said two other babies born at Guatemala City's Hospital Roosevelt are also suspected as having Zika-related microcephaly.

Haiti and Guatemala join 17 other countries that have documented Zika-linked microcephaly cases, including the United States. Brazil, which has more than 1,700 microcephaly cases, was the first country to report the birth defect last fall.

CDC updates Zika totals for US and territories

In its weekly Zika update, the CDC noted 298 more cases of Zika in the United States, raising the total number of cases to 2,260. Puerto Rico continues to see Zika numbers climb, with 1,448 new cases diagnosed. The CDC is reporting 8,035 cases in Puerto Rico as of Aug 17, but the Associated Press said that number was well over 10,000 last week.

According to the CDC, as of Aug. 11 there are 529 pregnant women in the 50 states who've tested positive for Zika virus and 691 in US territories. Those numbers are up by 19 and 170 women, respectively.

There have been no additional reports of babies born with microcephaly or other related Zika defects, this week. So far, 16 babies have been born in the United States with Zika-related birth defects, along with 5 pregnancy losses related to Zika virus. For US territories, the CDC is reporting 1 case of microcephaly and 1 pregnancy loss.

WHO Zika situation report

Finally today, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its weekly Zika situation report, adding the Bahamas to the number of countries reporting Zika virus. There are now 70 countries reporting the disease.

The WHO update said Honduras and Suriname were reporting microcephaly linked to Zika; 17 countries now report birth defects associated with Zika (Haiti and Guatemala were not included in the WHO’s report).

See also:

Aug 18 Florida Health daily Zika update

Aug 18 Governor Rick Scott’s statement

Aug 18 Reuters Haiti story

Aug 19 Reuters Guatemala story

Aug 18 CDC Zika update

Aug 18 Miami Herald story