The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) has confirmed a second case of Zika virus illness reported in a North Dakota resident. The individual who tested positive for Zika virus is a man who traveled to Costa Rica. This case was not hospitalized for his illness.
“People who travel to areas with Zika virus need to protect themselves from mosquito bites,” said Laura Cronquist, Epidemiologist with the NDDoH. “Protect yourself by using insect repellent when outdoors, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, staying in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms, and using a bed net if you are sleeping outside.”
Zika is typically spread to people by a bite from an infected mosquito. Zika can also be spread from a mother to her unborn child, through sexual contact, and likely through blood transfusions. The mosquitoes that are known to transmit Zika have not been found in North Dakota.
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