Southwest RivCo Man Diagnosed With Zika Virus: County's First Case Confirmed

Riverside County, CA— A man who traveled outside the United States and returned home to the southwest area of Riverside County has been diagnosed with Zika Virus, marking the area's first ever local case, public health officials announced Tuesday.

According to the Riverside University Health System-Public Health, the 50-year-old man recently traveled to the Caribbean. He's expected to make a full recovery.

"County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser emphasized the infection was not locally acquired and the patient, who lives in southwest Riverside County, likely became infected during his travels to the Dominican Republic, where Zika-infected mosquitoes are present," the agency said in a news release.

The county is among the last in the Southern California area to have a case, officials said. There still have been no cases acquired within the United States.

"While Riverside County is one of the last counties in Southern California to have a confirmed case, we always knew it would happen eventually," said Kaiser. "We will continue working with our partners in health care and vector control to protect our residents, especially pregnant women and the unborn, who are most at risk.”

Zika is typically spread by mosquitos. The type of mosquito that is known to transmit the disease, Aedes agypti, has been found in Riverside County-- in San Jacinto, Riverside and Coachella-- and vector control has been spraying parts of the region to prevent them from populating more.

The virus can also be passed from a mother to her unborn child, and has been linked to microcephaly, which can cause serious developmental delays and babies born with abnormally small heads.

There is no medication for people who come down with Zika, nor a vaccine.

"If you are returning from a Zika area, which includes the Caribbean, most of Central and South America and some Pacific islands, wear insect repellant both there and also for at least three weeks when you return here to reduce the risk of spreading it locally," officials said.

Riverside County health officials also offered up the following advice to prevent mosquito bites:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and shoes.
• Use EPA-registered insect repellants and apply according to the label instructions.
• Stay and sleep in places with air conditioning and screened windows.
• Prevent standing water in your yard by disposing of discarded tires, cans, plastic containers; draining standing water from pool or hot tub covers; turning over plastic wading pools and wheelbarrows when not in use; keeping drains, ditches and culverts clean of trash and weeds so water will drain properly; and cleaning gutters to ensure they drain properly.

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