Case Of Zika Virus Acquired Through Sexual Contact Reported In California

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Health officials say they have documented the first official case of Zika virus in California that was acquired through sexual transmission.

The California Department of Public Health made the announcement on Friday. They did not detail when or where the case popped up, or where in California the patient lives, only that a man who was originally infected with the virus had recently traveled to a country where the disease is present.

Officials say the man infected a woman through sexual contact. The woman was not pregnant and had not traveled out of the country.

Both the man and woman have since fully recovered from the infection.

Health officials across the world have raised the alarm about Zika virus recently after an outbreak in Central and South America reached pandemic levels.

The disease is known to cause serious complications to women who are pregnant, including causing a birth defect known as microcephaly that causes a child to have a smaller-than-normal head and abnormal brain development.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are a total of 17 documented cases of Zika in California.

Zika virus is usually spread through mosquitos. The certain kind of mosquitos that carry the disease are not found in California and all known cases are linked to people who have traveled to areas were Zika is present.