CDC: Minnesota Woman Tests Positive for Zika Virus

The Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say a Minnesota woman has tested positive for the Zika virus. 

Officials say this is the first confirmed case of the Zika virus infection in a Minnesota traveler this year. 

The woman is in her 60’s and lives in Anoka County. 

She began experiencing symptoms January 1, after traveling to Honduras. 

Officials say she was not hospitalized and is expected to make a full recovery. 

The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne infection commonly found in travelers returning home from areas known to be affected.  The disease has yet to be transmitted in the United States.  The mosquito species known to carry the disease are not currently found in Minnesota. 

The virus has been found for years in parts of Asia and Africa and has spread throughout tropical areas of Central and South America. 

The disease is spread when certain species of mosquito bite an infected person, and then go on to bite another person. 

Nearly 80 percent of people infected with the disease will show no symptoms.   

There are also no vaccines or treatment for Zika virus. 

Officials say there is a risk of rare and more significant impacts of the disease for pregnant women. 

The CDC is urging pregnant women to avoid traveling to Zika-affected areas.