Florida officials are pushing back against media reports that they are undercounting the number of Zika cases in the Miami area, the first area in the U.S. where mosquitoes are spreading the virus.
The Miami Herald reported Saturday that information from state officials has not been timely or accurate as cases have spread beyond Miami-Dade County. It also charged that the department undercounted the number of Zika cases by not including out-of-state residents who got Zika in Florida, meaning the number of local transmissions is 64 cases instead of the 56 reported by local officials.
The tension surrounding the reporting of Zika cases comes as the virus hit tourist hot spots such as Miami Beach. The virus causes a mild illness in most people but also causesthe debilitating birth defect microcephaly, in which babies are born with underdeveloped brains and abnormally small heads.
The newspaper reports that Florida officials have refused to identify all locations were mosquitoes with Zika were trapped in Miami Beach. The virus travels primarily via mosquito bites.
The state also stopped providing detailed information on investigations into local Zika probes, the Herald said.
The Florida Health Department on Monday pushed back against the story, calling it misleading.
Regarding the underreporting claim, the department said a Zika case is reported by the state of residence, which is per federal guidelines for all reportable diseases. The report isn’t made by the location where the virus is acquired.
Out-of-state residents got Zika in an area that the state identified as having active Zika transmission, so “the public is already aware of the risks associated with that area,” the department said.
Local officials also pushed back against a claim that they refused to say how many local infections involved pregnant women.
“Patient privacy is a priority of the department,” a press release said.
It added that the department hasn’t stopped providing information on active investigations and has improved its communication over the past few months to share timely and accurate information.
Nearly 3,000 Zika cases have been found in the continental U.S., with 671 cases of them pregnant women. Almost all of the cases are people who got the virus in another country or territory.
Florida is the only state so far with local transmission.
