One of the top U.S. public health officials on Sunday warned that the mosquito-borne Zika virus could extend its reach across the U.S. Gulf Coast after officials last week confirmed it is active in the popular tourist destination of Miami Beach, Fla. Miami's Wynwood arts neighbourhood last month became the site of the first locally transmitted cases of Zika in the continental United States. Top U.S. health officials warned on Sunday of the possibility that the Zika virus could spread along the Gulf Coast now that it's been found in Florida. Rick Scott confirmed that state health officials had identified five cases of Zika believed to be contracted in Miami Beach. He compared it with diseases such as Dengue, which is endemic in certain tropical and subtropical regions of the world but rarely occurs in the continental United States.

Source: CBC News August 21, 2016 21:22 UTC