Florida officials on Thursday said they have trapped the first mosquitoes that tested positive for the Zika virus in the Miami area, further confirming reports of local U.S. transmission of the illness that can cause severe birth defects.
Three mosquito samples tested positive from a small area in Miami Beach where increased trapping and intensified mosquito control measures are being implemented, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said.
The Florida Department of Health has said there have so far been 49 cases of Zika in people believed to have contracted the virus in a small area of Miami, but until now, the department had not found infected mosquitoes.
The Zika-positive mosquitoes were found in surveillance traps in Miami Beach.
Florida Governor Rick Scott on Thursday called on the state department of health (DOH) to step up Zika prevention efforts.
The current Zika outbreak, first detected in Brazil last year, has rapidly spread across the Americas.
Florida officials said more than 40,000 mosquitoes had been tested since May, and that the three samples were the first to test positive.
Zika infection in pregnant women can cause the rare birth defect known as microcephaly, which can lead to serious developmental problems, and has also been linked to severe fetal brain abnormalities.
