Two female Pennsylvanians test positive for Zika virus
Health Ministry worker Carlos Lopez shows mosquitoes larvae he found during a fumigation campaign at La Comuna 2 neighborhood in Guatemala City, Friday, Feb. 5, 2016. Zika virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Zika was discovered in a Ugandan forest in 1947 and until last year, the virus had never caused serious disease. It has now spread to more than 20 countries. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
(Harrisburg) — Two females have tested positive for the Zika virus in the state.
“These are the first confirmed cases that we have in Pennsylvania,” state Health Secretary Doctor Karen Murphy says.
The state is not releasing any information about the women, including their names, where in the state they live or where exactly they traveled.
Murphy adds she believes the Pennsylvania cases were mild and the women have already recovered.
“I would like to emphasize that these cases pose no threat to public health,” Murphy says.
The overwhelming majority of Zika cases are transmitted through mosquito bites and the type of mosquito that carries the virus does not live in Pennnsylvania.
Medical authorities say most people recover in about a week from symptoms that include fever, a rash and achy joints, but doctors believe the virus puts pregnant women at serious risks for birth defects.
All pregnant women that have traveled to affected countries are being advised to get tested as soon as possible.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
