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Florida Health Officials Investigate Locally Transmitted Case Of Zika

BOSTON (CBS) - Health officials are investigating what could be the first case of a Zika infection from a mosquito bite in the United States.

There have been more than 1,300 cases of Zika in the United States but almost all have been related to travel to countries where the virus is prevalent.

Now health officials in Florida are looking into what could be the first case of local transmission here in the U.S. by an infected mosquito.

"We anticipated that," says Dr. William Schaffner from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "As soon as it's discovered, local and state health departments and the CDC promptly will do interventions to make sure the spread is very limited."

Dr. Schaffner does not believe there will be a widespread outbreak in the United States. "Zika will not establish itself widely in the United states," he says.

Eighty percent of people who get infected don't get sick but the biggest concern is for pregnant women because the virus can cause serious birth defects.

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