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Sexually-Transmitted Zika Confirmed In Miami-Dade

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Zika is rearing its head in the United States again. The Florida Department of Health confirmed on Friday that it now has its first case of sexually-transmitted Zika.

The unidentified patient had not recently traveled, but officials revealed that the patient and partner had been to several countries, including Cuba. Cuba is still battling the mosquito-borne virus, The Miami Herald reports.

The couple, from Miami-Dade County, both tested positive for Zika.

There is no evidence as yet of ongoing, active transmission of the disease anywhere in the state, but authorities are cautioning residents to take precautions in case they or their partners have recently been abroad. The department said,

If the department identifies an area where ongoing, active transmission of Zika is taking place, we will notify the public immediately.

This is Florida’s second Zika case this year, Fox News reports. The first was transmitted by an infected mosquito to a patient in Manatee County on the Gulf Coast. An investigation by the health department determined that the patient contracted Zika in Cuba, was bitten by a mosquito in Florida, then the isect carried the virus to the partner.

So far, there have been 205 Zika infection reported this year, 172 of which are travel-related. Only one was acquired locally. There are also 32 cases from undetermined exposure in 2016 that have tested positive this year.

The Zika threat in Florida has waned considerably from last year’s alarming status, when there were 1,456 reported cases, 296 of which were locally acquired Zika infections. The rest were from travel-related causes.

The crisis had reached such a level of danger that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a domestic travel advisory to prevent pregnant women from traveling to Miami-Dade County. Zika is known to cause birth defects in unborn children whose mothers have been infected. The CDC warning was lifted in June.

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