A top House Republican blasted the Obama administration for not raising travel warnings for Americans traveling abroad to countries where the Zika virus is spreading.

Rep. Lamar Smith, chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said the administration needs to warn Americans to be careful when traveling to countries where the virus is present. The Zika virus is present in about 50 countries, including the United States.

The Texas Republican argues that the cases that have been found in Florida could have been minimized if the Obama administration had issued more explicit travel restrictions to certain countries earlier in the year.

"If Americans continue to believe it is safe to travel to countries where the Zika virus is rampant, more will return home with infections," Smith said. "This increases the risks for all of us, whether we travel abroad or not, because if a mosquito bites a person who has carried Zika into the U.S., that mosquito can infect every other person it bites."

On Monday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced 10 new cases of the Zika virus spread by mosquitos in the Sunshine State. That brings the total amount of Zika cases in Florida to 14, the first locally transmitted cases in the country. More than 1,600 people in the U.S. have been found to have Zika, but almost all of those are people who traveled to countries where the virus is spreading rapidly.

The virus causes a mild infection in most people, but it has been found to cause microcephaly, a birth defect that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads. It also has been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a neurological disorder that can cause temporary paralysis.