BREAKING: Shelby County Health Department says they have one confirmed case of the Zika virus. Health Department is currently working to warn citizens. @WBRCnews
News reports say that health officials in Shelby County, Alabama have confirmed one case of the Zika virus.
Officials say they are working to inform citizens about the virus and what precautionary steps they should be taking. Health officials apparently learned about the case last week and spent all of Thursday warning residents of Pelham, in Shelby County, about the virus.
Authorities have not released any details about the identity of the Zika patient, or about whether they recently traveled outside of the US. Zika is not commonly found in the US, and this is the first case of the virus reported this year.
Here’s a map of countries where Zika can be found.
The Zika virus is spread mostly by the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. These mosquitoes bite during the day and night.
According to the Center for Disease Control, most cases of Zika are relatively mild, and don’t require hospitalization; patients improve within a week or so.
However, women who are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, are at risk if they are infected by the Zika virus. Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects.
This is a developing news story and will be updated as soon as there are new developments.