If there’s such a thing as a good time for a Zika outbreak, then Miami’s happened at the right time.

Federal and state health officials confirmed that mosquitos breeding in a shopping district in Miami are spreading the Zika virus. The disclosure came during Miami’s slow tourist season, a break for the city that feeds off the winter tourist trade.

That’s about the only positive spin one could possibly put on the discovery that mosquitos breeding in the U.S. are now spreading Zika, previously thought to have been borne only by mosquitos from outside the continental United States.

The Miami Herald reported that mosquitos infected people in a one-mile-square section of town north of the city’s downtown “on or after June 15,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s director, Tom Frieden, told the Herald.

Zika poses a threat primarily to fetuses being carried by pregnant women, according to the CDC, since an infected expectant mom can transfer the disease to her child, resulting in possible birth defects.

News of the presence of Zika-carrying U.S. mosquitos came on the heels of a Washington Post-ABC News poll in which Americans generally pooh-poohed the threat. Pollsters queried 1,001 U.S. adults to take the temperature of Americans on Zika. Just a third of those who responded admitted to being either somewhat or very worried about Zika.

The poll compares the latest results with polls taken in 2014 at the height of the Ebola virus scare, and in 2009 when folks were supposed to be worried about the swine flu. Swine flu polled the highest percentage of those worried — 52 percent — with Ebola not far behind at 43 percent.

People aren’t taking any action to protect themselves from a Zika infection, the poll states. While 27 percent say they are “taking steps to limit exposure” to the disease, 67 percent say they are taking the wait-and-see attitude. Those taking action are mainly countering the threat through the liberal use of bug spray, although 23 percent say they were spending more time indoors and another 23 percent say they are more alert in regards to any standing water.

Not only is the Miami outbreak getting lots of coverage, but the steps people believe they can take to stay safe might not be enough in the event of a full-scale outbreak.

The CDC told the Miami Herald that officials already authorized the use of heavy doses of insecticides in the affected area of Miami, but it didn’t seem to be working.

“It’s possible that the mosquitoes there are resistant to the insecticide that’s been used,” Frieden told the newspaper. “It’s possible that there may be what we call cryptic breeding places. … This is a very difficult mosquito to control, particularly in a complex urban environment.”

The CDC is treating Zika seriously. It has devoted multiple pages on its website to the disease and has prominently touted the Florida outbreak on its homepage. It’s been issuing daily news updates on the outbreak and, while it hasn’t gone so far as to recommend people avoid Miami, it has issued a notice to anyone traveling in the affected sections of Miami to take precautions to avoid passing on the disease.

This week also kicks off the 2016 summer Olympics, an event that has seen some athletes forgoing the honor to represent their countries due to Zika fears. While regulatory agencies have claimed there is little to zero reason to worry about spread of the disease, you can bet all eyes will be on Rio for more than just the competition and pride.

Instant Insights /

Americans aren't worried about Zika, but maybe they should be

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