Zika Virus Reported in Georgia

DECATUR, GA -- A person traveling from Colombia has brought the first documented case of Zika virus to Georgia, the state health department announced.

In a news release, the Georgia Department of Public Health confirmed that the person, referred to only as a “non-pregnant individual,” traveled to Colombia, where there has been a Zika outbreak, between the end of December and the first of January.

Testing was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It is extremely important that individuals who have traveled to countries where there are on-going Zika virus outbreaks keep guard against additional mosquito bites,” Cherie Drenzek, state epidemiologist for the department, said in a news release. “During the first week or so of infection, Zika virus can be passed from an infected person to another mosquito through mosquito bites. An infected mosquito can then transmit the virus to other people.”

Zika virus is most commonly spread through mosquito bites, though there have been some reports of it being sexually transmitted as well.

In adults, the symptoms of Zika are relatively mild. They include a rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis and a slight fever.

But the virus has been connected to birth defects in places it has spread, such as Brazil.

The outbreak in Brazil, which began in May of last year, led to reports of Guillain-Barre syndrome and pregnant women giving birth to babies with birth defects and other “poor pregnancy outcomes,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The person who reportedly brought the first case to Georgia has made a full recovery, according to the health department. The department said testing of several samples from others in the state who have traveled to Zika-infected areas are ongoing.

Earlier Wednesday, the first confirmed U.S. case of Zika was reported in Texas.

The Department of Public Health cautions travelers, especially pregnant woman, planning to travel to countries or areas where Zika outbreaks are active. Currently, those include Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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