CDC sends 950 Zika tests to Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Centers for Disease Control sent 950 Zika antibody tests to Florida on Tuesday at the request of Governor Rick Scott.

The antibody tests allow people, especially pregnant women and new mothers, to see if they ever had the Zika virus.

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Last week, the CDC sent 475 of these tests to Florida. The state has a total of 1,425 antibody tests.

"While having these tests readily available is great progress, we are still waiting on the CDC to schedule a conference call with Florida hospital workers to ensure they fully understand the symptoms, treatments and proper precautions for Zika," said Governor Scott. "We will continue to do all we can to ensure our state is prepared for the possible spread of the Zika virus.” 

The Florida Department of Health announced two more cases of the Zika virus in Florida on Monday, bringing the total to sixteen.

The two new cases are in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

  • Miami-Dade - 6 cases
  • Hillsborough - 3 cases
  • Broward - 2 cases
  • Lee - 2 cases
  • Osceola - 1 case
  • Santa Rosa - 1 case
  • St. Johns - 1 case

All cases are travel-related and there have been no locally-acquired cases of Zika in the state.

None of the confirmed cases involve pregnant women.

The St. Johns County case was announced on Friday but no other information was released on the patient.

State Surgeon General Dr. John Armstrong urges Floridians to drain standing water weekly, no matter how seemingly small.  A couple drops of water in a bottle cap can be a breeding location for mosquitos.

People also need to use mosquito repellent while enjoying the outdoors.