Florida officials found the Zika virus in mosquitoes trapped in the Miami Beach area, confirming that the virus is spreading via mosquito bites.
It is the first discovery of Zika virus in mosquitoes in the continental U.S. More than 50 cases of local transmission of the Zika virus have been found in Florida, with officials not saying that mosquito bites were to blame.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services detected Zika in three mosquito samples in Miami Beach, one of the areas where local transmission is occurring.
“This finding is disappointing, but not surprising,” Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam said.
The state said another 95 additional samples have been submitted by Miami-Dade County but have tested negative for the Zika virus.
Miami-Dade’s mosquito control units have tried to eliminate mosquitoes since local transmission was discovered in Miami last month.
The agriculture department said local officials conducted nearly 2,000 proactive inspections, abatement and treatment of mosquito breeding and adult mosquito activity.
“Miami Beach will continue to take a hard line in our fight against Zika,” Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine said. “We are aggressively working to eliminate any and all potential mosquito breeding grounds.”
Levine said the locality needs Congress to “do its part to provide the necessary emergency resources to properly combat the spread of the virus.”
Congress is expected to take up the Zika virus funding when lawmakers return next week. House Republicans have discussed adding a $1.1 billion spending bill to a continuing resolution to fund the government.
