North Carolina Reports First Case of Zika Virus

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the first case of Zika virus infection in a North Carolina resident today. The adult, whose name was withheld, had recently traveled to a country with ongoing Zika virus transmission. The patients’ symptoms have resolved. 

At this time, no cases of the disease are known to have been acquired in North Carolina or elsewhere in the continental United States, with the exception of one infection in Texas attributed to sexual transmission. As of Feb. 18, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported travel-related Zika virus infections in 21 other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infectious mosquito, although cases of transmission through sexual contact and blood transfusion have also been reported.  Symptoms can include rash, red eyes, fever and joint pain. Less common symptoms include fever, joint pains and muscle aches. Only about one in five people infected with Zika virus will show symptoms.

This story was adapted from a 2/19/2016 press release. For more information visit: http://publichealth.nc.gov/

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.