Marin County reports its first case of Zika virus

A Marin County resident who recently visited Central America is the first known person from that county to contract the Zika virus, health officials reported Tuesday.

Officials from the county’s Health and Human Services department confirmed the case but declined to release any further information about the infected individual.

Sonoma County health officials reported their first case of Zika late last month and similarly declined to provide more information about the county resident who contracted the virus after being bitten by mosquitoes while visiting Central America.

The Aedes mosquitoes that transmit the virus have not been detected in either Sonoma or Marin, according to health officials for both counties.

The virus also can be spread through sexual contact and from a mother to her unborn baby.

“Although currently there is no risk for local transmission, our residents could be exposed to Zika virus through travel or sexual contact with anyone infected with Zika,” Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin County deputy health officer, said in a statement.

The federal Centers for Disease Control reports as of May 4, 472 U.S. residents have contracted the Zika virus, with each case attributed to travel abroad. In California, 40 people have tested positive for the virus.

Across the nation, 44 of the Zika cases involve pregnant women.

The infection can lead to early pregnancy loss for an expectant mother and birth defects in newborns, including microcephaly, a condition marked by an abnormally small head and poorly developed brain. Also, rare neurological syndromes have been associated with Zika infection.

Marin health officials recommended that men who could have been exposed to Zika and who have a pregnant sexual partner either abstain from sexual activity or use condoms “consistently and correctly during sex.”

For adults, most Zika cases are relatively mild. Four out of five infected people won’t display any symptoms, according to Marin officials. When symptoms do arise, they commonly include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis.

You can reach Staff Writer Robert Digitale at 521-5285 or robert.digitale@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @rdigit