Health officials clear part of Miami Beach Zika zone

Florida health officials have cleared part of the Miami Beach Zika transmission zone.

Gov. Rick Scott announced Tuesday that the Department of Health has not detected any local transmissions of the Zika virus in the north part of Miami Beach in more than 45 days.

The newly lifted area runs from 28th Street to 63rd Street. The remaining Miami Beach Zika zone runs from 8th and 28th streets. An additional Zika zone remains in the Little River neighborhood of Miami-Dade County.

The first cases of Zika transmission through mosquito bites on the U.S. mainland were reported in July in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood. That area was cleared in September.

Zika can cause severe brain-related birth defects, including disastrously small heads, in pregnant women who become infected. More than 1,200 cases have been reported in Florida, more than 200 locally acquired.

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