Florida may be catching more than a virus from a mosquito. According to a new report coming out the cost of the Zika spreading in Miami could come with a very hefty price tag. Florida health officials reportedly have found evidence of local Zika virus transmission in Miami Beach, a popular tourist haven that saw 15.4 million holiday revelers flock to its beaches in 2015 alone. A source familiar with discussions that took place Thursday between Florida state health representatives and local officials claims that a handful of cases have been identified, and officials are now deciding which area or areas to include in any updated travel guidance, possibly threatening the region’s $24 billion-a-year tourism industry.

According to the same source an announcement on the decision is expected to be made as early as Friday. Officials had been trying to halt the virus from spreading beyond a 1-square-mile section of Wynwood, an arts hub in the county just north of downtown Miami, since identifying local transmission there on July 29. Wynwood marked the first zone of ongoing Zika transmission in the continental United States. CONTINUE


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