Public health officials from both sides of the pond had one message for pregnant women Monday: Don’t go to Wynwood.
But local tourism leaders are doubling efforts to make sure travelers hear another message, too: Do come to South Florida.
That’s because South Florida, and a small area of Miami-Dade County in particular, have become ground zero for the first local outbreak of mosquito-borne illness Zika in the continental United States.
Both Public Health England and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued travel advisories Monday for pregnant women — or women who are thinking of becoming pregnant — with plans to travel to a one-square mile area of Wynwood where most cases have been detected.
On Friday, state and federal health officials said four locally acquired cases had surfaced in South Florida — two in Broward County and two in Miami-Dade in Wynwood. By Monday, the number of locally acquired cases had climbed to 14, with the 10 new cases arising in the same area in Wynwood. Of the 14 people infected, two are women and 12 are men.
England is Miami’s No. 6 international market. Domestic travelers accounted for more than half of all Miami visitors in 2015.
The new figures prompted the CDC to issue its first travel advisory within the U.S., said CDC director Tom Frieden during a call with reporters. Together with the England advisory, the travel recommendations are the first the local tourism industry has faced because of Zika.
The alerts are aimed at two of Miami-Dade’s largest tourism markets. Domestic travelers were more than half of Miami’s 15.5 million visitors in 2015. England is the sixth-largest international source, accounting for more than 325,000 visitors in 2015.
The Greater Miami Convention &Visitors Bureau is working to quell some of the hysteria surrounding the disease, pointing out in a weekend press release that no travel advisories had yet been issued — a “reassuring sign and further evidence that travel into Miami and The Beaches remains safe.”
Pregnant women are encouraged to visit all of Miami-Dade County — except one square mile.
William D. Talbert, III, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
Even after the warnings and new cases were announced Monday, the tourism bureau stuck to its statement that the affected area remains a relatively tiny portion of the entire county.
“Pregnant women are encouraged to visit all of Miami-Dade County — except one square mile. That’s what the UK says, that’s what the CDC says,” said William D. Talbert III, president and CEO of the tourism bureau.
Public Health England’s travel warning addresses Florida, but specifically advises pregnant women traveling to the “affected” area of the state, in Wynwood, to “consider postponing non-essential travel.”
“The risk in Florida is considered moderate based on the number and spread of cases and their demonstrated ability to implement effective control measures for similar diseases such as dengue — a virus transmitted by the same mosquito,” the travel warning said.
The CDC’s advisory is specifically directed at “people living in or traveling to Wynwood,” but addresses mainly pregnant women or women who wish to become pregnant.