FORT MYERS, Fla. — Officials have confirmed a new travel-related case of the Zika virus in Lee County, the Florida Department of Health said.
It’s the 992nd travel-related case statewide and the 14th in Lee County. Local transmission of the virus within Florida has been confined to Miami-Dade County, but the last of three areas where Zika-infected mosquitoes were identified was cleared earlier this month.
The mosquito-borne virus is linked to severe brain-related birth defects in children, particularly microcephaly, a condition that leaves babies with smaller-than-normal heads and leads to a multitude of other health problems.
It’s unclear where those infected with Zika live in Lee County. The Health Department typically releases data by county, but it doesn’t distribute city-by-city counts or publicly identify anyone with the virus.
Collier County leads Southwest Florida with 22 cases, all of which are travel-related. Only two travel-related cases have emerged in Charlotte County and none in Hendry or Glades counties.