Florida Gov. Rick Scott has announced that Florida is now out of locally-transmitted Zika for the first time since July. Since the Zika outbreak had been announced in the state, four zones of ongoing Zika transmission were identified and cleared subsequently in recent months.

Today the last "Zika zone" in the state, located in the South Beach area of Miami Beach, has been declared free of the Zika virus transmission.

Scott told the reporters, "The South Beach area now does not have any local transmission of Zika and that's a very good day for our state".

The Zika outbreak in Florida was detected first time while the virus started to spread via mosquitoes in the continental United States. Texas had announced its first case of locally transmitted Zika virus last month.

As a result of the announcement, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that it had been lifting the "red area" designation for South Beach neighborhood. The designation had already warned the pregnant women to avoid that area.

Miami-Dade County has been considered as a "cautionary" yellow area by the CDC due to past transmissions of the Zika virus.

CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement today, "Florida’s rapid response and comprehensive mosquito control program has allowed them to interrupt Zika transmission. Pregnant women who live or have been to this area should continue to be evaluated for Zika exposure during their prenatal visits to prevent the devastating effects Zika can cause in their infants.”

A total of 249 locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus in Florida had been reported, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The Zika virus had primarily been spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito that generally caused mild symptoms in adults. But when a pregnant woman was infected, it was associated with an increased risk of birth defects, including microcephaly, characterized by an abnormally small head or brain.

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By Prakriti Neogi