5 Zika cases in South Beach prompts CDC travel warning

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Five new cases of the Zika virus were confirmed Friday in the tourist-friendly area of South Beach, said Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Speaking during a news conference, Scott said that three of the cases were from tourists from New York, Texas and Taiwan. The transmission occurred in the area between 8th and 28th streets.

It was not clear whether mosquito bites caused the infections.

Scott directed the health department to offer mosquito spraying and related services at no cost to Miami-Dade County's hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions.

Following the announcement, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention announced a travel warning for pregnant women to South Beach.

Pregnant women are at greatest risk because Zika has been linked to a rare birth defect in which babies are born with brain damage.

Florida's caseload of Zika cases not related to travel outside the U.S. has grown to 35, according to the state Department of Health.

Active Zika transmissions were first reported in the Wynwood neighborhood.

With the Associated Press