New case of travel-related Zika in Duval County

Total number of travel-related cases climbs to 461

Duval County has now reported seven travel-related cases of the Zika virus, the Florida Department of Health announced Wednesday.

The state added 12 travel-related cases of the Zika virus Wednesday, with two cases each popping up in Palm Beach and Polk counties and one case each reported in Broward, Duval, Lake, Martin and Pinellas counties.

Three cases involve pregnant women. The DOH does not indicate the counties in which the women live.

The total number of travel-related cases, which stem from people bringing the virus into the state from elsewhere, climbed to 461.

Besides the seven cases in Duval County, there are also six cases in Alachua County, three cases in Clay County and three cases in St. Johns County.

The total number of infections involving pregnant women climbed to 63.

The mosquito-borne Zika is particularly dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects.

The Department of Health also reported three new locally transmitted cases, which involve people being infected by mosquitoes in Florida. The state has found a total of 33 local cases. 

One of the individuals was exposed in the less than one-square mile in Miami-Dade County where DOH believes active transmissions are occurring. The other two new non-travel related infections are located outside of the one-square mile area in Miami-Dade County.

While the department is continuing to investigate areas in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties where local transmissions of Zika may have occurred, the department still believes active transmissions are still only occurring in the area that is less than one square mile in Miami-Dade County.