Florida Officials: No Zika Found In Mosquito Samples So Far

In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 photo, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sit in a petri dish at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus spre... In this Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016 photo, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sit in a petri dish at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus spreading throughout Latin America. New figures from Brazil's Health Ministry show that the Zika virus outbreak has not caused as many confirmed cases of a rare brain defect as first feared. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) MORE LESS
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida agriculture officials say no mosquitoes in the state have tested positive for the Zika virus so far this year.

A statement from the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says nearly 90,000 individual mosquitoes have been tested for the virus linked to severe birth defects. None of the mosquitoes from more than 6,500 samples have tested positive for the presence of Zika so far.

Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam has said as summer begins, it’s important that Florida communities have the resources they need for Zika response efforts.

A Zika outbreak in Miami’s Wynwood arts district last year was the first on the U.S. mainland. It lingered for more than a month but was limited to a small geographic area, much like previous outbreaks of mosquito-borne viruses in Florida.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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