March 08, 2016
A Montgomery County woman has tested positive for the Zika virus, the first such case in the county.
The woman, 55, contracted the virus after traveling outside of the United States to an area where Zika has been found. There are now six confirmed cases of Zika virus in Pennsylvania, according to the state Department of Health.
“The Zika virus is generally a mild virus that lasts less than a week,” said Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh, a physician and interim medical director of the county health department. “The CDC, the state health department, and our county health department are fully prepared for cases of Zika virus, which is important to note, cannot be transmitted through casual contact. We want to strongly encourage our residents to focus on mosquito bite prevention, if they travel to countries that are affected by the ongoing outbreak. It is also important to talk with your healthcare provider about travel if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.”
Zika virus is a generally mild illness that is spread primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito. Common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes), lasting from several days to one week. Spread of the virus through blood transfusion and sexual contact has also been reported.
For more information, please visit the Montgomery County Health Department Zika virus webpage.
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