Zika Is Likely Being Transmitted by Mosquitoes in the US

The Zika virus has very likely made its way to the United States.

While more than 1,500 cases of Zika have been reported in the US, those affected contracted the disease outside the mainland.

Now, four people in Florida have tested positive for the virus and have not recently traveled, Gov. Rick Scott said Friday.

This is the first time mosquitoes are suspected of transmitting the virus within U.S. borders.

"This is not just a Florida issue. It's a national issue — we just happen to be at the forefront," Scott said.

The area of active transmissions is confined to a one-square-mile area north of downtown Miami.

“While no mosquitoes have tested positive for the Zika virus,” Mr. Scott said, the Health Department “is aggressively testing people in this area to ensure there are no other cases. If you live in this area and want to be tested, I urge you to contact the county health department.”

Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN Friday, "all the evidence we have seen indicates that this is mosquito-borne transmission that occurred several weeks ago."

Zika typically spreads through a direct mosquitoe bite in tropical environments. It can also be transmitted through sex and from a pregnant mother to her fetus.

While 80 percent of people with Zika don’t exhibit any symptoms, mothers with Zika often give birth to babies with microcephaly, where a baby is born with a smaller-than-average head.

There is currently no vaccine for the virus. For months, the CDC has warned pregnant women traveling to South America, Central America and the Caribbean to be careful.

The disease was first noticed in Brazil in 2015. By January 2016, 1.5 million people had been infected.

With the Olympics arriving next week in Rio, the world could see a spike in global infections.

TopicsVaccine Public Health Zika virus mosquitoes Zika