Washoe County reports first Zika case; third in Nevada

Washoe County reported the first confirmed case of Zika virus disease in Northern Nevada today, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the state up to three.

A woman who recently traveled to El Salvador developed Zika symptoms including joint pain, body ache, fever, red eyes, chills, abdominal pain, headache and rash, according to a Washoe County Health District news release.

It was not immediately clear when the Washoe County resident developed symptoms, but she recovered within a week, the health district said.

Zika virus is generally transmitted by infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which are not commonly found in Washoe or Clark counties, according to the counties’ respective health departments.

The typically mild illness can also be spread sexually and from mother to child during pregnancy, and 80 percent of affected people don’t show symptoms. However, researchers strongly suspect a link between the disease and an increase in Brazil of reported cases of microcephaly, a neurological condition in which a baby has an unusually small head and may suffer brain development issues.

The Washoe County woman who tested positive is not pregnant, said Randall Todd, director of epidemiology and public health preparedness for the district.

She had the third confirmed case in the state, said Martha Framsted, spokeswoman for the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health.

It is the first of 12 samples sent for Zika testing by the Washoe County Health District to come back positive. The district sent samples from 11 women and one man for testing, and eight of the women tested were pregnant.

Two Zika cases have already been confirmed in Clark County.

The Southern Nevada Health District has sent 27 samples for testing through the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of which 17 results have been returned, spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said.

“We know that the general public is concerned about the rise in the number of Zika cases, so this serves as a reminder that people going to Zika-affected countries, particularly those that are pregnant or intending to become pregnant, should take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes while traveling,” Washoe County District Health Officer Kevin Dick said in the release.

Contact Pashtana Usufzy at pusufzy@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Find @pashtana_u on Twitter.