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Possible non-travel-related zika case in Florida prompts more agressive mosquito control efforts

Posted at 8:42 PM, Jul 20, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-21 05:44:21-04

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. -- New concerns are spreading across the state of Florida this week. The Florida Department of Health is investigating the first possible non-travel related case of Zika reported in the state.

The case is in Miami-Dade County.

RELATED: More Zika coverage

Several counties have been ramping up their mosquito control efforts, especially as we continue to hear about the hundreds of travel-related cases across the state. Just last week, St Lucie County had its first travel-related case.

“The concern is the mosquito could bite the person that brought it in from somewhere else and then continue to spread the disease from there,” said Erick Gill, the spokesperson for St. Lucie County.

Gill says the county has already added another inspector and are hoping for more federal funding

“We have mosquito traps set up throughout the county. We check those regularly for all the different types of mosquitos, and we’re sending reports back on a daily basis to the state labs,” said Gill.

However, now we are dealing with the very thing we all feared, the possibility of the first non-travel related case under investigation.

Part of the concerns right now are the unknowns. Did the person get bitten by the mosquito in Florida? Was the virus sexually transmitted by someone else? The Florida Department of Health says all of that is still under investigation.

Meanwhile, doctors are still warning everyone to take precautions, especially until we get more information.