The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday said that pregnant women might also consider avoiding all of Miami-Dade County. This is in addition to a previously identified area of transmission north of downtown Miami.
The agency advised those pregnant woman who have traveled to this area since July 14 should talk to their health care providers about testing, and anyone with a partner who is pregnant should follow recommendations to prevent sexual transmission of the virus.
Earlier Rick Scott, governor of Florida, said state health officials have identified five cases of Zika believed to have been contracted in Miami Beach.
"This means we believe we have a new area where local transmissions are occurring in Miami Beach," he said, noting that Florida had already stepped up pesticide-spraying efforts in this area.
Of the five new cases in Miami Beach, one person is a resident of New York, one person is a resident of Texas and one person is a resident of Taiwan.
"All three of these people travelled to Miami," Scott said.
Pregnant women are at greatest risk because the virus can have devastating consequences for an unborn baby, including the birth defect microcephaly and other neurological deficits, as well as miscarriage and stillbirth among women who were infected while pregnant.
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