BREWSTER – Putnam County has its first confirmed case of Zika virus
in a local resident and another is being tested, county health department
officials said.
Both residents had recently traveled out of the country. This makes the
16th confirmed case of the virus in the state.
Interim County Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Nesheiwat said symptoms
of the infection are usually mild. Male travelers without symptoms do
not require testing, he said. However, all pregnant women, with or without
symptoms, who have traveled to a Zika-affected region of the world should
be tested because of a link to birth defects.
The virus is spread by infected mosquitoes, but in Texas, one case is
being studied in a sexual partner of a traveler from one of the affected
areas.
In the Mid-Hudson region, Zika cases have also been confirmed in Orange
and Rockland counties.
