South Dakota is reporting its first Zika virus infection. State Epidemiologist Dr. Lon Kightlinger says a woman who traveled to a country where Zika virus is currently transmitted, and later developed the symptoms, has been confirmed to have the virus by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
Kightlinger says that only about 20 percent of people who are bitten by a Zika-infected mosquito get sick
He says Zika is a tropical mosquito-borne infection and hasn’t been known to be carried by the mosquitoes found in South Dakota
His advice to men who live in, or who have traveled into a Zika-affected area is to abstain from unprotected sex. Individuals who do travel to a Zika-affected area and become ill within two weeks should see their doctor. Pregnant women who travel to Zika transmission areas should be tested two to twelve weeks after their return, whether they’re sick or not.
