Miami-Dade County officials have released the locations of mosquito traps that captured Zika-positive insects in Miami Beach.
Five locations - 932 Lenox Avenue, 1619 Meridian Avenue, 2000 Convention Center Drive, 2378 Prairie Avenue and 1236 Drexel Avenue - tested positive for Zika after mosquito traps were placed there, Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control officials said Wednesday.
Each location tested positive only once, on August 22nd and 23rd and September 4th and 9th, officials said. Later tests on mosquitoes trapped at the locations turned up negative for Zika.
"What's important to note is that all of those traps that testing was done some time ago. There has been consistent testing of those traps and found to be Zika negative. But, if we find more in the future we are going to let everybody know as soon a s we find out," said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez.
Both the state and county had previously refused to disclose the locations, arguing the records were exempt from public records law because they were part of an epidemiological investigation.
"As I have stated many times before, Miami-Dade County remains committed to the health and safety of our residents and visitors, and to absolute transparency in our communications with the community we serve," Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a statement. "The Department of Health instructed the County, on multiple occasions, to withhold information related to the exact location of the Zika-positive mosquito traps. Now that the County has been granted permission – via an email from the Florida Surgeon General – to release this information, we are releasing the addresses. This will be our protocol going forward: We will disclose the locations of any such traps that test positive for Zika to both the property owner and to anyone else who inquires."
