Camden County Woman Diagnosed With Zika Virus

A Camden County woman has tested positive for the Zika virus, according to the the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services (NJDHSS).

On April 2, a woman who recently returned from traveling to a country where there is local mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus visited her doctor with multiple symptoms.

Symptoms included a fever, a rash, fatigue and joint pain. Her doctor provided test samples to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which contacted the state after getting the positive test.

On April 15, the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services was notified by the NJDHSS that the results were positive for Zika virus.

The woman is not pregnant. It was unknown which town she lives in.

“Symptoms of Zika virus usually develop between two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito and can last several days to a week,” Camden County Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez, liaison to the Camden County Health Department, said. “Anyone who is traveling to an area where the virus is found should be extra vigilant about protecting yourself against mosquito bites.”

New Jersey is home to the 18th highest amount of diagnosed Zika virus cases in the country. All have been travel-related to this point.

Zika-affected countries have included: Colombia, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Martin, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.