MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida woman might be the first person to have been bitten by a mosquito infected with the Zika virus in the continental United States.
The patient is a woman who lives in Miami-Dade County. That's according to a health official familiar with the case who wasn't authorized to reveal details beyond the statements of the agencies involved, and thus spoke on condition of anonymity.
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A Florida Health department spokeswoman said it's premature to conclude whether or not the Zika infection is related to sex or travel.
Spokeswoman Mara Gambineri said her emailed statement to the Associated Press earlier Thursday was incorrect.
She said she was wrong and that she should have written that "sexual transmission related to travel has not been ruled out."
She said not all the blood and urine tests from the people around the infected patient have come back yet, and they can't definitively say that nobody involved traveled outside the United States recently.
Mosquitoes tested as part of this investigation have so far tested negative for Zika, as of results that came back Thursday.
As of Thursday, there have been 288 Zika cases reported in Florida that are travel-related and do not involve pregnant women. There are 46 pregnant women who have contracted the virus. None have contracted the virus locally.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Zika virus typically causes a mild rash, fever and joint pain. Only one in five people infected with the virus is symptomatic.
The CDC says that Zika symptoms last between seven and 10 days.
Florida Surgeon General Dr. John Armstrong urges Floridians to drain standing water weekly, no matter how seemingly small. He said just a couple of drops of water in a bottle cap can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
People are also urged to wear bug repellent when outdoors.
