Officials In Dallas County Report 7th Case Of Zika Virus
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) has confirmed the seventh case of Zika virus in the county so far this year. While the case has been sent off for review at the Texas Department of State Health Services, testing done at the DCHHS lab was positive.
The patient is 60-years-old and was infected with Zika while on a recent trip to Honduras.
Zika virus is primarily transmitted to people by mosquitoes and in rare cases is also passed through sexual activity. While the Zika virus rarely results in hospitalization or death, the biggest concern is the virus's possible link to microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with unusually small heads.
The most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting several days to a week.
Aedes aegypti, the mosquito blamed for the Zika outbreak linked to birth defects in Brazil, can be found in the southern U.S. from Florida to California. Another carrier is the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, which has a more northerly range that includes cities such as Chicago and New York. Officials at DCHHS say there have been no reports of Zika virus being transmitted by mosquitoes in the county.
DCHHS advises individuals with symptoms to see a healthcare provider if they visited an area where Zika virus is present or had sexual contact with a person who traveled to an area where Zika virus is present.
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