Oropouche Virus Detected In Florida

Not only is Florida dealing with locally acquired Dengue, but now the CDC reports 20 of the 21 confirmed cases of the no-see-um and mosquito-borne Oropouche are in Florida. The 21st case is in New York.

All of the infected recently traveled to Cuba.

FIU Epidemiologist Dr. Mary Jo Trepka says, "It's very similar to, in its symptoms, of Zika and Dengue because it causes headache, fever, muscle aches, stiff joints, nausea, vomiting and chills."

While many cases are mild, "pregnant women may have the risk of having a miscarriage, or a stillbirth, and the baby could also get microcephaly, that's the small head like we saw with Zika."

She recommends all pregnant women avoid non-essential travel to Cuba.

She also urges everyone to wear mosquito repellant, long sleeves and pants, and check screens to avoid bites, especially if you're infected because, "if you have the virus in your blood, and most people just only a mild illness, you could end up infecting those insects, and then we could start seeing local transmissions."

Broward Mosquito Control Director Anh Ton says they're on the attack. "We've treated this mosquito before for other reasons, so we know where they're at."

He says they're working closely with the Florida Health Department, so they know when a travel-related case in the area.