Arizona county confirms its first case of travel-related Zika virus
Aug 5, 2016, 12:15 PM
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
PHOENIX — An Arizona county has confirmed its first case of travel-related Zika virus, it was announced Friday.
Yuma County Public Health Services District said it confirmed the case in a person who contracted Zika while in an infected area.
The Yuma County person is the 14th case of travel-related Zika in the state.
“We have a strong surveillance system in Yuma County and believe the risk of viral spread here throughout Yuma County is very low,” Diana Gomez, director of the Yuma County Public Health Services District, said in a press release.
“The most important factor in keeping the risk low is the vigilance of county residents in identifying and eliminating possible breeding grounds.”
Gomez said the county health department regularly traps and screens mosquitoes for any virus, including Zika and dengue.
Gomez said the infected person was urged to stay indoors, use mosquito repellent and wear long sleeves to avoid spreading the virus.
Arizona’s first Zika case was verified in March. An older woman was infected while she was in one of the affected areas outside the the U.S.
Despite international concerns over the virus and the fact that Arizona is home to the insect that transmits Zika — the Aedes aegypti mosquito — the Arizona Department of Health Services has repeatedly said there is little chance the sickness will spread in the state.
