A National Institutes of Health official warned Sunday that Zika could spread across the U.S. Gulf Coast and that the mosquito-born virus could "hang around" the nation for a year or two.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the allergy and infectious diseases unit at the NIH, told ABC News that Gulf States like Texas and Louisiana were vulnerable to the spread of Zika, Reuters reported.
Fauci’s warning comes three days after officials confirmed that Zika was active in a second area of Miami-Dade, Fla. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised pregnant women on Friday to avoid travel to the area, which includes popular tourist destination South Beach.
Fauci said Louisiana was particularly at risk after historic flooding in the state, which killed at least 13 people.
"There are going to be a lot of problems getting rid of standing water," he said, noting the flood’s potential detriment to mosquito control efforts that could help control Zika’s spread.
Zika can cause severe birth defects in pregnant women and is most commonly linked to microcephaly, a disease that causes small head size and severe developmental problems in babies, according to U.S. health officials.
Fauci said a "diffuse, broad outbreak" of the Zika virus is unlikely in the U.S., but advised health officials to prepare for the risk.
"With our experience with other similar viruses like dengue, this is something that could hang around for a year or two," Fauci said. "Hopefully, we get to a point to where we could suppress it so that we won’t have any risk of it."
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R.) confirmed last week that five additional cases of Zika were contracted in Miami Beach, bringing the total number of locally transmitted cases in the state to 36.