Zika Virus: Local Transmission in Florida; Implications for the Blood Supply

​The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed four locally transmitted cases of Zika virus in Miami, and state health officials have identified another 10 cases of local transmission in the same area, according to a July 29, 2016, press release from CDC and an August 1, 2016, news release from the office of Florida Governor Rick Scott. The initial four cases are the first known occurrences of local mosquito-borne transmission of the virus in the continental United States; Florida health officials believe that the new cases stem from transmission within the same square mile as the first four cases. CDC advises women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant to avoid unnecessary travel to the affected area.