The Florida Department of Health says a case of Zika in the Miami area was not sexually-transmitted in a case involving a woman.

  • OneBlood to begin testing for Zika virus
  • Officials stated that Miami-Dade Zika case was not sexually-transmitted
  • If the source is confirmed local, OneBlood says they will stop collecting in that zip code

The case may be the first non-travel related Zika case in the United States. Fl DOH says they have not ruled out travel yet.

Miami-Dade County has sent out mosquitoes trapped in the woman's neighborhood for testing since July 15. So far none of those samples have test positive for Zika.

Multiple news agencies, including the Associated Press, are reporting that health officials have ruled out travel as a cause for this case. However, officials emphatically say that travel has not been ruled out yet.

In response, OneBlood announced that the non-profit will start testing donated blood for the Zika virus starting on Aug. 1.

According to a release, the change in protocol is a result of the suspected non-travel related Zika case currently under investigation in Miami-Dade County.

“With approval to begin using the investigational test granted, our immediate plan is to begin testing a portion of our collections for the Zika virus to allow hospitals to have access to Zika-screened blood products from unaffected areas to use with their high risk patients, such as pregnant women,” said Dr. Rita Reik, OneBlood’s Chief Medical Officer.

In the event the case is confirmed, OneBlood says they’ll cease collections in the immediate area, and bring in fresh blood to supply the region.

“Hospitals that want Zika-screened products will request what they need on an on-demand basis,” Reik continued. “We will expand our inventory of Zika-screened blood based on hospital usage.”