Officials said Friday that 21 of those cases involve pregnant women. He is doing well and expected to fully recover from the illness.
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Health officials say Zika virus is not circulating in West Virginia.
While a vaccine to treat the virus is now unavailable, the health ministry previously tried to allay fears here about the virus – which has been linked to microcephaly, a condition marked by babies being born with abnormally small heads that can result in developmental problems – spreading, following the previous confirmed case last month.
According to the CDC, the virus also has been reported in at least 31 other states.
Zika virus could also be related to an increase in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune disorder that can cause paralysis; however, travel advisories have not been based on the possible threat of the syndrome.
Experts think most people infected with Zika virus don’t get sick.
The KDHE news release reads: “The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the first person in the state to test positive for Zika virus”. The most common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes.
Zika is an infectious viral illness that is primarily spread through the bite of a mosquito that carries the virus.
Authorities were already offering tests for pregnant women who had traveled to affected areas, or for anyone exhibiting signs of the virus.
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Sparks advises anyone traveling to those countries to take measures to avoid mosquito bites. In addition, three countries have reported locally acquired infection in the absence of any known mosquito vectors, probably through sexual transmission. Localized areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing can be hard to determine and are likely to continue to change over time.
