Governor Rick Scott announced a state of emergency in four counties, Miami-Dade, Lee, Hillsborough, and Santa Rosa on Wednesday.
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Zika outbreaks have been reported in a number of countries in central and south America and all travellers to the affected countries should ensure they seek travel health advice from their GP or a travel clinic well in advance of their trip.
Scott said the state is working with the CDC to get more tests that allow doctors to determine if a person has ever been infected with the Zika virus, and to help educate health providers in the state about the virus and its effects.
After this case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised men to consider using condoms after traveling to areas with the Zika virus.
News of the virus, thought to cause birth defects, first emerged in Brazil previous year, and health authorities have warned the disease could infect up to 4 million people in the Americas and spread worldwide.
The US state of Florida has declared a health emergency over spread of the Zika virus in the United States.
The Georgia case involves a person who was not pregnant and had traveled to Colombia from late December through early January.
It comes after the Republic reported two cases of the fast-spreading virus which causes birth defects in children born to infected mothers.
“Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others”, said DCHHS director Zachary Thompson. But since eighty percent of people with the virus have no symptoms, self-reporting misses most infections.
“If there are less mosquitoes to bite returning travelers, you’re less likely to see local transmission in Florida”, Adalja says.
Nine people in the state are confirmed to have the mosquito-born virus.
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The virus is usually contracted from mosquito bites, so transmission of the illness through blood transfusions adds another concern to efforts to contain the outbreak. Signs and symptoms of Zika may include a low-grade fever, rash, joint pain, reddening of the eyes, body aches, headache, eye pain, and vomiting.
