The Florida Department of Health added four new cases to the state's tally of nontravel-related Zika infections, bringing the total number of such cases in the state to 21. All cases are suspected to have been transmitted in the Miami neighborhood of Wynwood.
Health officials are collecting samples for testing both within the less than one-square-mile Miami neighborhood and without. In total, there are 18 samples with pending results.
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On Tuesday, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton made a campaign stop at a local clinic in Wynwood. According to the New York Times, the presidential hopeful described the neighborhood as the frontline of the Zika fight in the U.S. and urged congressional leaders "to call people back for a special session and get a bill passed." Mrs. Clinton also cautioned that Miami is not likely to be the only city affected by the Zika virus unless substantial efforts are made to circumvent the spread of the virus.
In July, Congress broke for summer recess before passing a measure to allocate emergency funds to combat Zika. The inaction was the result of months of partisan squabbling.
As of Aug. 3, there have been 1,825 total reported cases of Zika infection in the U.S. — 497 of those cases occurred in pregnant women.
More articles on the Zika virus:
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CDC director: Local Zika spread could last a year in Florida