Florida declares neighbourhood Zika-free, but CDC remains cautious

U.S. health officials on Monday urged pregnant women to consider putting off nonessential travel to Miami due to the Zika virus even as they lifted a travel warning for one neighbourhood.

Agency continues to advise pregnant women consider postponing non-essential travel to Miami-Dade County

Thomson Reuters Posted: Sep 19, 2016 12:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 19, 2016

Pregnant Miami residents have a lot of questions about Zika virus. (CBC)

U.S. health officials on Monday urgedpregnant women to consider putting off nonessential travel toMiami due to the Zika virus even as they lifted a travel warningfor one neighbourhood. Earlier in the day, Florida's governordeclared the neighbourhood of Wynwood Zika-free and invitedvisitors to return.

The U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention left in placea travel warning issued on Aug. 19 for nearby Miami Beach evenas it discontinued one issued on Aug. 1 for Wynwood due to localtransmission of the mosquito-borne virus that can cause seriousbirth defects.

"We want to continue to emphasize to pregnant women thatthey still should consider postponing non-essential travel forall of Miami-Dade (County). That is still in effect," CDCspokesman Tom Skinner said.

The CDC's Wynwood travel warning had been the first time theagency had ever told travellers to stay away from a neighbourhoodin any U.S. city.

But the agency on Monday recommended that pregnant women andtheir partners still consider postponing non-essential travel toWynwood to avoid the risk of infection.

The travel warnings had serious implications for Miami'slucrative tourism industry. Florida continues to battle awidening outbreak of Zika in trendy Miami Beach.

Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, told a newsconference before the CDC's action that there had not been any

cases of Zika infection in the Wynwood neighbourhood in the past45 days, and declared that "everybody should be coming back hereand enjoying themselves."

"We had an issue, everybody took it seriously, and we solvedit," Scott said.

Scott's comments followed news on Friday that the Zikatransmission zone in Miami Beach, a popular tourist destination,had tripled in size after five new cases of infection weredetected.

Wynwood was the first neighbourhood in the continental UnitedStates with a local outbreak of Zika. U.S. health officials haveconcluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can causemicrocephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that canlead to severe developmental problems in babies.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came tolight last fall in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than1,800 cases of microcephaly.

The CDC said Wynwood had been considered an area of activeZika virus transmission from June 15 until Sunday. It advisedpregnant women who lived in or traveled to the neighbourhoodduring that time to consider getting tested for Zika.

Don't let down guard

CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden urged Miami residents "notto let down their guard."

"We could see additional cases. People living in or visitingMiami-Dade County, particularly pregnant women, are encouragedto continue to take steps to prevent mosquito bites and tofollow guidelines for preventing sexual transmission," Friedensaid in a statement.

Scott called on the U.S. government to approve spending toarrest any future spread of the virus in Florida and elsewhere,including funds for mosquito abatement, education and testingfor Zika. A spending bill has been delayed in Congress.

Infectious diseases experts praised the achievement inWynwood as a demonstration of how rigorous public health effortscan stop an emerging infectious disease threat.

"We have that capacity in this country," said Dr. WilliamSchaffner of Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Amesh Adalja of the University of Pittsburgh MedicalCenter said Scott is "rightly touting the major progress inWynwood in controlling Zika," adding that he is also trying tolift the stigma on that area where the first local transmissionof Zika occurred in a U.S. state.

Adalja said CDC's prior guidance was that the area wasconsidered "a big enough risk to advise pregnant women (andtheir partners) to avoid it period; that's not the case now."

Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of TropicalMedicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said the idea ofcreating a surgically precise "cordon sanitaire" dividingneighbourhoods with Zika transmission and those without "does notfollow the science."

Hotez said given the travel of infected people in and out ofinfected areas, the outbreak area is likely far larger. Hotez in

late July called for a travel ban on all of Miami-Dade Countyfor pregnant women, women who might be pregnant and theirpartners, who might transmit the virus sexually.

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Advice for people living in or travelling to South Florida, CDC

Florida declares neighbourhood Zika-free, but CDC remains cautious

Agency continues to advise pregnant women consider postponing non-essential travel to Miami-Dade County

Don't let down guard

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