The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first known case of Zika virus in a Missouri resident on Friday, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Health.
The Missouri man is believed to have contracted the virus while traveling in the Caribbean nation of Haiti, a known area of Zika transmission.
The Missouri Department of Health declined to say where in Missouri the man is from.
Zika virus has grabbed national headlines this year and is known to affect countries in the Caribbean as well as Central and South America. The virus, which can be transmitted by mosquito bite, unprotected sexual contact or from mother to child during pregnancy, is believed to cause microcephaly (abnormally small heads and brains) in infants.
Less severe symptoms include fever, rash and joint soreness, but most people who contract Zika are asymptomatic and may not know they have it, according to the CDC.
Because there is no vaccine for Zika virus, the CDC encourages people traveling to Zika-affected areas to wear EPA-registered insect repellant and practice safe sex with their partners. The CDC also encourages pregnant women to avoid traveling to these areas at all in order to protect their children's future health.
Although a Missouri resident is now affected, there have been no confirmed cases of people contracting Zika while in the state of Missouri.
For more information about Zika virus and what you can do to protect your health, click here.
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