Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a State Health Emergency Wednesday Feb 3rd, 2016 after at least nine cases of the Zika Virus were detected.
Scott signed the order Wednesday to cover Miami-Dade, Lee, Hillsborough and Santa Rosa counties. Health officials believe that each Florida case of the mosquito-borne virus was contracted while traveling overseas in effected countries, according to the Associated Press. Southern Florida, especially Miami, has a close connection with South America, where the Zika Virus is prevalent.
The Zika virus has become a global health scare after it was linked to brain deformities in babies and is causing concern among public health officials worldwide. The virus is primarily spread through mosquito bites and has mainly been contained to South America, but cases have appeared in the U.S. as of late. Additionally, investigators had been exploring the possibility it could be sexually transmitted. U.S. health officials say a person in Texas became infected with Zika through sex, in the first case of the illness being transmitted within the United States.
Original Report on Time.com