SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A case of the Zika virus has been confirmed in San Francisco on Thursday afternoon, according to the San Francisco Health Department.
The person infected is not pregnant, officials said. This is the second confirmed case in the Bay Area this week.
The other happened in Napa County. Health officials said in that case, a pregnant woman was infected with the virus.
Zika can cause dramatic birth defects, including babies born with unusually small heads. Zika is spreading fast in many South and Central American countries.
Health officials tell KRON that in this most-recent case, the person was infected with the virus when they traveled to Central America.
Officials said that the person has recovered and is now doing well. When it comes to Zika cases in California, they have been confirmed in five different counties–San Francisco County, Napa County, Yolo County, Los Angeles County, and San Diego County.
Local doctors that KRON talked with said when it comes to the Zika virus, it is a learning process for everyone. They tell KRON’s J.R. Stone that many of their patients have already changed vacation plans and opted to stay clear of places like Central and South America, all because of Zika virus fears.
Those with the CDC said Zika virus symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes.
The CDC has issued a travel alert for pregnant women and their partners for certain areas of Central and South America.
The Department of Public Health has issued the following statement on the Zika case:
The San Francisco Department of Public Health received confirmation from the California Department of Public Health on February 4, 2016 that a San Francisco resident has tested positive for the Zika virus. The person was infected with Zika virus while traveling in Central America, and is now fully recovered and doing well. No transmission of the disease took place in the United States, and there was no risk of transmission to the local community from this case. In order to protect patient privacy, San Francisco is not releasing further details about the Zika case.
There is no reason for the general public to be concerned that they are at risk for getting Zika in San Francisco at this time. Zika is not circulating in San Francisco.
Zika is a virus that is spread through mosquito bites. It generally causes mild symptoms of fever, joint pain, rash and red eyes. Currently Zika is circulating in a number of countries, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Puerto Rico. Recently, Brazil has experienced an increase in cases of the birth defect “microcephaly,” which causes babies to be born with unusually small heads. This appears to be linked to maternal infection with Zika virus, and research is ongoing to understand the connection. Sexual transmission of Zika virus from men to women has also been observed.
Zika virus is spread when a mosquito bites a person who has an active Zika virus infection, and then bites another person, thereby spreading the disease. There is no record of such a transmission occurring in the United States. The mosquito that spreads Zika, called Aedes, is mostly found in tropical countries. It is the same mosquito that spreads other viruses such as dengue fever. No Aedes mosquitos have been found in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Health Department issued advisories to health care providers on January 22, 2016 and February 12, 2016 informing them that the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a travel alert for people traveling to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Pregnant women are advised to consider postponing travel to these countries, and all travelers are advised to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Women who are pregnant and have sexual partner(s) that have traveled to areas with Zika are advised to abstain from sex or use condoms consistently for the duration of the pregnancy in order to prevent sexual transmission of Zika.
Stay with KRON for updates on this breaking news story. KRON News starts at 11.