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Governor Confirms New Zika Hot Zone

James Gathany
/
CDC

  Florida Governor Rick Scott confirmed Friday afternoon that Zika is being locally transmitted in Miami Beach. The governor said five people have been infected, bringing the total number of local cases to 36.

 
At a noon press conference, Scott was noncommittal about whether he would support the Centers for Disease Control issuing a travel advisory for Miami Beach.
 
"Let’s put it in perspective. We have 20.6 million people living in our state. We probably had 65 million tourists already coming to our state this year. We have two small areas. That’s out of a state that takes 15 hours to drive from Key West to Pensacola," Scott said.
 
Later Friday afternoon, the CDC did issue that travel advisory, warning pregnant women to stay away from Miami Beach, or -- if they live there -- to wear bug repellent and long sleeves.
 
The Florida Department of Health says it believes active transmission on Miami Beach is occurring in a 1-and-a-half mile area bounded by 8th Street and 28th Street, and Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean