The Kentucky Department for Public Health has confirmed the state’s first case of Zika virus. A Louisville man who had recently been traveling in a Central American country tested positive for the virus, according to a press release from DPH. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the test results March 9.
The agency said the man, who is back in Louisville, is doing well and expected to fully recover from the illness.
Zika, an infectious viral illness, is primarily spread through the bite of a mosquito that carries the virus. Zika is not known to be circulating in the mosquito population in Kentucky – or any other part of the United States.
The virus, transmitted through mosquito bites, is linked to the birth defect microcephaly, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development and abnormal smallness of the head.
The virus has also been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis in individuals who have been infected.
Last month, Indiana health officials confirmed the state’s first case of the Zika virus, found in a person who had recently returned from a trip to Haiti.
DPH says it is working closely with the CDC to provide guidance and education to health professionals and the general public regarding the Zika virus.
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