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More than three hundred people have been diagnosed with the Zika Virus in Florida. All of them,so far, contracted the disease traveling abroad, but as Mike Vasilinda tells us, state and federal health agencies are investigating what they believe may be the first mosquito bite transmitted case in the state.

The state’s zika update shows 28 Florida counties have someone who’s been infected with Zika. the list does not include the home county for 46 infected pregnant women. Those infected are in counties the make up the vast majority of Florida’s 20 million residents.  Until now, all of the infected contracted Zika while traveling abroad. But while providing few details, the state now acknowledges it is investigating what could be the first non travel related case in the state.

Documents given to the federal government show it is two to three times more expensive to treat an area like this after a mosquito has infected someone with Zika, than it is to get rid of the mosquitos before hand.

What state health officials are looking at is unclear.

Glen Pourciau runs the mosquito control operation in the state Capitol.

Q:”If there were a case, you would immediately go in and clear the area of mosquitoes, Is that right?”

A:”Yes that’s the general plan. These mosquitoes tend to be weak fliers. They would travel usually two hundred yards.”

In extreme cases, aerial spraying would be deployed” says Pourciau.

“If we had multiple cases of locally transmitted, then the only way to respond, quickly enough, would be an aerial spraying program.”

Zika is usually transmitted by the bite of a mosquito, but it can also be spread through sex, blood transfusions, or exposure in a laboratory.

Florida has been told it will soon receive an additional 5.6 million dollars from the Federal Government to fight Zika. Calls and emails to the Department of Health asking how the money would be used and the status of the case under investigation went unanswered today.