The number of confirmed mosquito-transmitted cases of Zika virus in continental U.S. has grown by 10 cases, the governor of Florida, Rick Scott said on Monday.
The governor said that if this number is added to the first four cases announced last week, the total number of U.S. citizens infected with the virus via mosquito had reached 14.
“Today the Florida Department of Health has confirmed that 10 additional people have contracted the Zika virus locally, likely through a mosquito bite,” Scott said.
He said that the state health authorities believe the transmissions were occurring within the same square mile in Miami.
Scott also called on the Federal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to dispatch emergency team to assist in the testing of individuals in the south-eastern state.
Previous reported cases of Zika virus in the U.S. involved people who had been infected while traveling or via sexual transmission.
The latest cases mark a shift for U.S. health officials who have warned that the disease could become more widespread if infected mosquitoes reached the US.
The Zika virus is spread primarily via mosquitoes, and Latin America has faced an outbreak in recent months.
The virus causes mild symptoms in adults, but could cause severe birth defects in the children of pregnant women who become infected with the virus.