More Zika-carrying mosquitoes are spreading through Miami Beach
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2016, file photo, a female Aedes aegypti mosquito, known to be a carrier of the Zika virus, acquires a blood meal on the arm of a researcher at the Biomedical Sciences Institute of Sao Paulo University in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The World Health Organization said Friday Sept. 2, 2016, that the outbreak of Zika remains an international health emergency and noted the virus is continuing to infect new countries. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File) (AP)
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — More Zika-carrying mosquitoes have been captured in Miami Beach, this time in a new neighborhood.
The Florida Department of Agriculture said Saturday that it’s the sixth time Zika-bearing mosquitoes have been captured in Miami Beach. It was the first capture of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in two weeks.
Officials said the positive sample came from a trap located at 575 W. 49th St. Scientists tested the sample at the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Kissimmee.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Zika can cause severe brain-related birth defects, including disastrously small heads, in pregnant women who become infected. The same mosquito species that spreads Zika also transmits dengue fever.
The agriculture department says it has tested more than 4,000 mosquito samples since May and only these six have contained Zika. All have been in Miami Beach and captured since Sept. 1.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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