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Health Officials: 4 New Possible Cases Of Non-Travel Related Zika In Dade, Broward

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Florida health officials say there are two more Zika cases that do not appear to be related to travel.

On Wednesday, they said they were trying to find out how the newly reported cases got the virus.

The cases raise the possibility that mosquitoes in Broward and Miami-Dade County are spreading the virus – although health officials have yet to reach a conclusion.

Zika 101: Prevent Spread By Protecting Yourself

The state health department says Miami-Dade and Broward, as of Wednesday, have four possible cases of non-travel related Zika.

Florida International University's Dr. Aileen Marty, a leading expert on Zika, has been working with the state. She went around Miami-Dade County knocking on doors in areas experts suspect could be a place that may have mosquito transmission.

"We let them know where we're from. We showed our badges that showed we are a part of the department of health and that it was completely voluntary if they answered any of our questions," she said.

They asked questions that included asking people for urine samples.

"Most people were quite receptive. Most people are understanding, but if you were a little bit... it's unusual to have someone knocking on your door with a cooler full of urine samples," she said.

With additional aid being held up in Congress, the federal government is doing what they can. The CDC has investigators working with the state.

"They came down and they are assisting and it's been a wonderful collaboration," Marty said.

The White House released a statement that President Obama was briefed on potential cases.

"This evening, before departing for Philadelphia, the President received an update from his Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Amy Pope on the potential cases of non-travel related Zika announced by the Florida Department of Health earlier today. CDC continues to closely coordinate with the State of Florida and the Administration has offered Federal support and technical assistance for Florida's ongoing case investigation and mosquito control efforts. As the President said last week in his call with Governor Rick Scott, Florida has a strong record of responding aggressively to local outbreaks of mosquito-borne viruses like Zika. The President asked to be kept up to date on any new developments and continues to highlight that congressional action is needed to ensure that federal, state and local public health officials have all the resources they need to fight Zika."

Dr. Marty says it takes time to investigate these cases. She says it's a thorough intricate process to make sure the state can attack a potential threat.

In the meantime, she stresses the importance of taking precautions – especially for pregnant woman.

"It's incumbent upon them to be paying attention to this and do whatever they can to help themselves," she said.

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  issued updated recommendations on how to prevent the spread of the virus which has been linked to birth defects in babies. Health experts say it can spread through sexual contact or infected mosquitoes.

Click here for more information on the Zika virus or here for more Zika-related stories.

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