Local Zika spreads to tourist hotspot Miami Beach

MIAMI: Five new cases of Zika have been found in the tourist hotspot of Miami Beach, signaling the spread of local transmission of a virus blamed for birth defects, officials said Friday.

Pregnant women and those who want to become pregnant are urged to stay away from two areas -- a 1.5 square mile (3.9 square kilometer) section of Miami Beach and a neighborhood north of downtown called Wynwood -- where mosquitoes are actively spreading the disease, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.