Key takeaways
- In 2016, Florida counted 262 locally acquired Zika cases, 1,042 travel-related cases and 224 pregnant women with lab evidence of infection.
- The first local cluster centered on a 1-square-mile area of Miami-Dade; aerial spraying with naled, alternated with Bti larvicide, was followed by an end to new cases there.
- Florida reported zero Zika cases in 2026 through October 17, but Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads it, still thrives in South Florida.
- Zika during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects; the risk was highest after infection in the first and second trimesters (CDC).
- Many Zika breeding sites are small and hidden, so weekly drain-and-cover habits at homes and workplaces remain the core defense.
In this article
Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that spread locally in South Florida in 2016, when local mosquitoes passed the virus to people in Miami-Dade who had not traveled. Health officials stopped it with door-to-door inspections, intense spraying and larval control, but the mosquito that carried it, Aedes aegypti, never left.
For most people Zika is a mild illness. Its real danger is to pregnancy, which is why the 2016 outbreak affected an entire community: pregnant women were told to avoid specific Miami neighborhoods, workplaces were inspected for breeding sites, and residents changed how they handled standing water. This guide explains what Zika does, what happened in Florida, where things stand today and the control measures that still matter.
What Is Zika Virus?
Zika is spread mainly through mosquito bites. According to the CDC, it can also spread through sex and from a pregnant woman to her fetus.
Symptoms
Many people infected with Zika have no symptoms or only mild ones. When symptoms appear, the most common are:
- Fever
- Rash
- Headache
- Joint pain
- Red eyes
- Muscle pain
Symptoms usually last several days to a week, and people rarely get sick enough to need a hospital. That is part of what makes Zika hard to control: many infected people never realize it and keep getting bitten by local mosquitoes.
Rarely, Zika can cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition that brings muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis lasting weeks to months. Most people recover fully, though some have permanent damage.
Why Zika Is So Serious During Pregnancy
Zika infection during pregnancy can cause a pattern of birth defects called congenital Zika syndrome. According to the CDC, it can include microcephaly (a smaller-than-expected head, often with a brain that did not develop properly), feeding problems, hearing and vision loss, seizures, stiff muscles and reduced joint movement. Some babies who look healthy at birth develop problems later.
In U.S. states and territories, Zika-associated birth defects occurred in about 5% of babies born to women with confirmed or possible Zika infection during pregnancy. Timing mattered:
Source: CDC, Congenital Zika Syndrome and Other Birth Defects
The risk was highest after infection in the first and second trimesters. Infection without symptoms still carried risk: about 4.2% of people infected without symptoms during pregnancy had an affected baby, compared with 5.3% of those with symptoms.
The 2016 Zika Outbreak in South Florida
In July 2016, doctors in Miami-Dade and Broward saw patients with Zika who had not traveled. A CDC investigation published in MMWR found 29 people with laboratory evidence of recent infection and likely exposure, mostly within an area of about 6 blocks inside a 1-square-mile zone of Miami-Dade, with illness onsets from June 30 to August 5.
The investigators found that the workplaces involved had large open-air areas close to mosquito breeding sites, including an outdoor break area. One workplace had abundant standing water and multiple larval sites.
| Date (2016-2017) | What happened |
|---|---|
| Early July 2016 | First patients with locally acquired Zika seek care in Miami-Dade and Broward |
| July 23 | Door-to-door inspections and backpack spraying begin in the affected area |
| August 1 | CDC advises pregnant women to avoid nonessential travel to the 1-square-mile area |
| August 4 | Aerial spraying with naled over 10 square miles begins, alternating with aerial Bti larviciding |
| September 19 | Florida determines active transmission in the Wynwood area has ended |
| September 23 | Transmission continues in a 4.5-square-mile area of Miami Beach; CDC advises pregnant women to avoid it |
| January 27, 2017 | Florida reports no remaining areas with active Zika transmission |
By late January 2017, the Florida Department of Health had counted 262 locally acquired cases, 1,042 travel-related cases and 224 pregnant women with laboratory evidence of Zika in 2016.
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How the Outbreak Affected the Community
Zika changed daily life in parts of Miami in ways most mosquito-borne diseases do not:
- Travel guidance named local neighborhoods. CDC advised pregnant women to avoid the identified areas and said they and their partners might consider postponing nonessential travel to other parts of Miami-Dade.
- Families planning pregnancies faced hard decisions about travel, testing and timing.
- Homes and businesses were inspected door to door for standing water, and outdoor workplaces became part of the investigation.
- Residents lived with repeated spraying, including aerial applications over neighborhoods.
The outbreak also showed how quickly travel cases can turn into local ones. Most of Florida’s 2016 cases were in travelers, and every one of them could pass the virus to local Aedes mosquitoes if bitten after returning home.
How Zika Was Controlled in Miami-Dade
The response combined several measures, described in the CDC’s MMWR report:
- Source reduction and inspections. Teams went door to door, removing standing water and treating breeding sites. The Florida Department of Health relaunched its “Drain and Cover” campaign.
- Ground spraying. Backpack and truck-mounted spraying targeted adult mosquitoes in the affected area.
- Aerial adulticide. Ultra-low-volume spraying with naled covered 10 square miles.
- Aerial larvicide. Bti, a bacterium that kills mosquito larvae, was applied from the air over a central 2-square-mile area, alternating with naled.
The combination worked better than spraying alone. Female Aedes aegypti counts dropped to about one per trap per day after the second naled application. Where only naled was used, counts later climbed above 20 per trap per day, while in the area that also got Bti they stayed around 5 to 10 for at least a month. No new cases began more than 2 weeks after aerial applications started. In a CDC statement, the agency noted that the outbreak had continued to spread despite intense ground-based efforts, and its director said aerial spraying knocked down mosquitoes rapidly. The MMWR authors added that it cannot be concluded definitively that the mosquito reductions ended the outbreak.
The report also named the main obstacle: many hidden larval sites in urban environments. That lesson applies to every South Florida property today.
Is Zika Still a Risk in South Florida?
As of the Florida Department of Health’s arbovirus report for October 11-17, 2026, Florida had no travel-associated or locally acquired Zika cases in 2026. That is good news, but the conditions that allowed the 2016 outbreak are still here.
The same mosquito spreads dengue, and dengue is active: Florida counted 425 locally acquired dengue cases in 2026 through October 17, including 9 in Miami-Dade, which was under a state mosquito-borne illness alert. Miami-Dade also reported 200 travel-associated dengue cases. Any of those travel cases shows how a virus brought in from abroad can reach local mosquitoes, exactly as Zika did. Learn more about the Aedes aegypti mosquito, about why mosquito control matters for dengue and about the hidden health risks of mosquitoes for older adults, children and pets.
How to Protect Your Family and Your Business
The 2016 response was a county-wide emergency effort, but the everyday defense against Zika is the same one that works against dengue and chikungunya.
At Home
- Drain buckets, plant saucers, toys, coolers and pool covers after every rain.
- Scrub containers before refilling them; Aedes eggs stick to the walls above the waterline.
- Cover rain barrels and anything that must hold water.
- Use repellent with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535, following the label.
- Repair screens on windows and doors, and keep doors closed.
- After travel to an area with Zika, follow CDC guidance on repellent use and condoms to avoid spreading the virus.
At Work
The Miami investigation traced cases to workplaces with open-air areas and nearby larval sites. Businesses with outdoor break areas, loading docks, planters, drains or storage yards should include them in a weekly standing-water check. Toro’s commercial pest control services cover properties from restaurants to warehouses.
Professional Mosquito Control
Toro’s mosquito control service starts with a free inspection of the outside of your home or business to locate breeding sites and the shady plants where adult mosquitoes rest. Technicians treat breeding sites with larvicide granules and growth regulators, apply a plant-oil barrier treatment to resting areas, and point out the containers and plants that keep holding water. The work complements county mosquito control, which handles area-wide surveillance and treatments. For the bigger picture of local diseases, see our guide to mosquito-borne diseases in South Florida.
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305-594-4767Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zika still in Florida?
Can Zika be spread from person to person?
How long do Zika symptoms last?
Did aerial spraying stop Zika in Miami?
Does weather affect Zika risk in Florida?
Sources
- Local Mosquito-Borne Transmission of Zika Virus — Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, Florida, June–August 2016, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Florida health officials report on response to Zika in Wynwood; evidence shows aerial spraying likely helped interrupt local transmission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Department of Health Daily Zika Update, Florida Department of Health
- Zika Symptoms and Complications, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Congenital Zika Syndrome and Other Birth Defects, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Florida Arbovirus Surveillance Week 41: October 11-17, 2026, Florida Department of Health
- Recommendations for Travelers and People Living Abroad, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Educational content. This article is for general information about pests in South Florida and is not medical, legal or professional advice. If you have a bite, sting or allergic reaction, contact your doctor; in an emergency, call 911. Pest problems vary from home to home, so a licensed professional should inspect before treatment. When using any pesticide, always read and follow the product label.
