Local mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus have been found in Miami, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced Thursday. This is the first instance of native Zika-carrying mosquitoes to be found the United States; all previous cases of the disease were found to be linked to foreign travel.
Three mosquito samples from the Miami Beach area tested positive for Zika, a finding Florida's commissioner of agriculture called "disappointing, but not surprising." In response, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) announced he had requested that the state Department of Health "aggressively expand testing and outreach efforts," including aerial insecticide spraying via helicopter in Miami Beach:
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