Health officials confirm first case of Zika virus in Arizona
PHOENIX-- Health officials have confirmed Arizona's first case of theZika virus in a Maricopa County woman.
The state Department of Health Services and county Department of Public Health said Monday that the unidentified adult woman traveled outside the U.S. to a Zika-affected area before developing symptoms.
Zika virus is a type of flavivirus that is primarily transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito.
CBS affiliate KPHO reports that the Zika virus can be transmitted by several Aedes species mosquitoes. Arizona is home to one of them called Aedes aegypti. While the mosquito is found in many parts of the state, there is no evidence of Zika transmission within Arizona, the department said.
"We have been expecting a travel associated case of Zika virus and we believe more infections are likely as people travel to and from areas where the disease is currently being transmitted," said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, in a statement. "While this is a first, the risk of this virus spreading throughout Arizona is very low."
Authorities say the state's public health system has a plan in place.
A link has been identified between the virus and birth defects among infants of infected mothers.
Most people infected with the Zika virus don't become ill and those who do have symptoms that may include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis.