Florida officials: No Zika found in mosquito samples so far

Author: Associated Press
Published:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) Florida agriculture officials say no mosquitoes in the state have tested positive for the Zika virus so far this year.

A statement from the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says nearly 90,000 individual mosquitoes have been tested for the virus linked to severe birth defects. None of the mosquitoes from more than 6,500 samples have tested positive for the presence of Zika so far.

Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam has said as summer begins, it’s important that Florida communities have the resources they need for Zika response efforts.

A Zika outbreak in Miami’s Wynwood arts district last year was the first on the U.S. mainland. It lingered for more than a month but was limited to a small geographic area, much like previous outbreaks of mosquito-borne viruses in Florida.

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