The Connecticut Department of Public Health said Wednesday that a state resident who recently traveled to Miami-Dade County in Florida has been identified as the first case of Zika virus in Connecticut acquired in the continental United States.
Public health officials say 85 state residents have tested positive for Zika virus since surveillance began Feb. 15. Five of the patients were pregnant.
The Zika virus can cause fever, maculopapular rash, arthralgia and conjunctivitis, but the World Health Organization in February declared the virus a global public health emergency because of the risk to newborn children. The virus has been linked to microcephaly, a condition where a baby’s head is smaller than usual.
“There also can be severe neurocognitive disorders associated with it,” says Dr. Jack Ross, chief of infectious disease at Hartford Hospital. “With congenital Zika, they’re finding more and more organs that can be involved.”
The DPH warns residents to avoid travel to regions that have been affected by Zika virus. If you do travel to those regions, protect yourself from mosquito bites by using insect repellent, wearing long sleeves and pants and use screens on windows and doors.
Zika spreads though mosquito bites, but also through sexual transmission. Men should abstain from sexual activity with a pregnant partner unless using a condom for the duration of the pregnancy.
More Zika virus facts here.