Florida said Wednesday that another two Zika cases didn’t stem from travel, heightening the possibility that mosquitoes are spreading the virus in the U.S.
State health officials announced another two cases of non-travel related Zika infections, bringing the total to four. Florida, which is vulnerable to the virus due to its hot, humid climate and proliferation of mosquitoes that can spread Zika, was already investigating two cases that didn’t stem from travel.
The department said it is performing door-to-door outreach and collecting mosquitoes from the areas where the people live in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
“This pattern is consistent with other mosquito-borne virus investigations, such as the 2013 dengue response,” the department said Wednesday.
More than 1,400 cases of Zika have been found in the U.S., but almost all got the virus from a country or territory where it is spreading through mosquitoes. Bites from mosquitoes are the primary mode of transmission of the virus, but so far government officials have not confirmed any mosquito-borne transmission of Zika.
Zika causes a mild illness and only one in five people get symptoms. However, it also causes a birth defect called microcephaly and is linked to a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
