First Case of Zika Virus Confirmed in WA, Was International Traveler

The Washington State Department of Health has confirmed the first case of the Zika virus in our state, a Mason County man who recently traveled overseas.

The Department says the man, in his 20's, visited a Thurston County hospital after exhibiting symptoms of the illness. Authorities say he had recently traveled to the South Pacific and was apparently in an affected region. The virus, which has been found for a number of years in other parts of the world, is similar to yellow fever, dengue fever or West Nile Virus.

The mosquito-borne disease affects pregnant women the most, and officials with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) say anyone who has traveled to an affected area should see their healthcare provider upon their return to the U.S. to make sure they haven't contracted the virus.

Currently there is no vaccine or treatment protocol for the virus. According to the CDC, about 1 in 5 people who are infected actually show signs of the disease. Here are the symptoms and information about it from the CDC website.

• The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) for Zika virus disease is not known, but is likely to be a few days to a week.
  • See your healthcare provider if you are pregnant and develop a fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes within 2 weeks after traveling to a place where Zika has been reported. Be sure to tell your health care provider where you traveled.
• The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
• People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected.
• Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for about a week but it can be found longer in some people.
• Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections.

The county so far most affected by the spread of the disease has been Brazil, where pregnant women are seeing significant health issues arise.