Florida Zika case could signal first infected mosquitos in U.S.

Zika-carrying mosquitos may have touched down in Florida.

The Florida Health Department is investigating whether a patient in the Miami area infected with Zika contracted the virus through a mosquito within the continental U.S., according to a release from the Florida Health Department.

“Today the Florida Department of Health announced that it is conducting an investigation into a possible non-travel related case of Zika virus in Miami-Dade County,” a Monday release read.

“The department is actively conducting an epidemiological investigation, is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and will share additional details as they become available.”

The unidentified patient told doctors they hadn’t traveled to any regions known to have mosquitos carrying the Zika virus.

If investigators find that the patient contracted the virus through an infected mosquito within the mainland U.S., it would be the first such case reported. Puerto Rico has already been hit with a Zika outbreak caused by local transmissions.

The first case of local transmission of the virus in continental U.S. was reported last week in Utah, after a man contracted Zika when caring for his infected father.

The Utah case has baffled scientists, who previously believed the virus was typically spread through sexual transmission.

There have been more than 1,300 people diagnosed with Zika in the U.S., but nearly all the infections were contracted while traveling abroad. A small number of cases were transmitted through sexual contact with someone who were infected while traveling, health officials reported.

The Florida Health Department said that Zika kits intended for pregnant women will be distributed and mosquito control has been conducted in the Miami area near where the infected patient lives.

Health officials advised Floridians to protect themselves from mosquito bites by draining stagnant water on their property, using repellent and covering their skin, among other measures listed on the Florida state government's website.