Officials at Presence Saint Joseph Hospital say the patient, a woman in her 30’s, is not pregnant and had recently traveled to Columbia.
Advertisement
A pregnant Spokane woman in her 20s contracted Zika virus during travel, but she has since delivered an apparently health baby, state and county health officials reported Monday.
Professor Phillips said there was no risk to the public in South Australia from the case because the mosquito that spread the Zika virus was not in South Australia.
Baden said that while Zika is considered a risk for microcephaly in unborn children, “we have not seen serious consequences in a healthy infant” other than standard symptoms, which include fever, malaise, headache and rash. Sexual transmission is less common.
Fulton noted that only roughly 20 percent of those affected by Zika show symptoms and for general spring break travelers, routine testing for Zika is not likely recommended unless they are very sick.
Although mosquitoes that can transmit Zika can be found in Texas and other Southern states, health authorities have said they don’t know of any cases transmitted by mosquitoes in this country – yet.
Chan said the woman’s infection was discovered because she is one of 55 state residents whose blood samples are being tested after health care providers raised concern due to their symptoms and recent history.
He also urged people who have traveled to areas where Zika is circulating to use condoms during sexual activity even after they return. The Spokane woman was tested based on guidance that all pregnant women who had traveled to a place where Zika is spreading should be examined.
The virus is carried by the Aedes mosquito, which also transmits Chikungunya and dengue fever, and is most active during the day. The virus has been associated with a rise of microcephaly, a type of birth defect.
For local information about Zika virus, call the Health Department Emergency Operations Center at 340-712-6205.
Advertisement
Infection with Zika is usually asymptomatic or causes mild illness.
