CDC Issues Travel Warning for Miami's Wynwood Neighborhood Due to Zika Outbreak

Following the identification of a neighborhood in Miami with local mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Health Advisory recommending that pregnant women avoid traveling to the area.

The neighborhood is Wynwood, located north of downtown Miami and Overtown, and adjacent to Edgewater.

As news reports note, this is the first time the CDC has warned people to avoid traveling to an American neighborhood due to the risk of catching an infectious disease.

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly and severe fetal brain defects. It has also been associated with other adverse pregnancy outcomes.

On July 29, the Florida Department of Health (FL DOH) confirmed Florida's first local transmissions of the Zika virus in four individuals in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.

Other CDC recommendations include the following:

• Pregnant women and their partners living in or traveling to the area with active Zika virus transmission identified by the FL DOH should follow steps to prevent mosquito bites.
• Women and men who live in or who have traveled to the Miami area with active Zika virus transmission and who have a pregnant sex partner should consistently and correctly use condoms or other barriers to prevent infection during sex or not have sex for the duration of the pregnancy.
• All pregnant women in the United States should be assessed for possible Zika virus exposure during each prenatal care visit.