After 10 more cases of Zika virus were confirmed in Florida, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel recommendation that pregnant women do not go to the one-square-mile patch north of Miami’s downtown where the cases were detected.
The CDC also said that women who have been in the area should wait at least eight weeks before trying for a pregnancy.
The new cases bring the number of cases in Florida suspected to have been locally transmitted to 14, a major worry for a state whose top industry is tourism. ”We do expect additional infections to be reported,” said CDC director Tom Frieden.
Florida’s governor, Rick Scott, said the state wants to increase spraying in the area where the cases were detected, home to a popular tourist attraction: the colorful Wynwood Walls.
Scott tried to assuage fears that Florida may be unsafe for tourists due to the outbreak.
At stake is Florida’s $89 billion tourism industry. Already, international governments are warning travelers who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant to avoid essential travel.
On Friday (July 29), Florida’s Department of Health reported the first four locally transmitted cases. The disease, which can cause severe fetal brain defects, such as microcephaly, has been mostly spread through infected mosquitos.
The CDC says all pregnant women in the United States should be assessed for possible Zika virus during prenatal visits.
An earlier version of this story included an outdated figure for the size of Florida’s tourism industry.