Pregnant woman is second Zika case in Los Angeles County

A pregnant woman from Los Angeles County has been infected with the Zika virus after traveling outside the area, public health officials confirmed late Friday.

Officials with the Los Angeles Department of Public Health said the woman is the second confirmed case of Zika virus. The first was an adolescent who had travelled to El Salvador, and was diagnosed in November. She has since recovered.

There is no evidence of any local transmission of the Zika virus in the county, local officials said, but it has been reported in travelers retuing home, including among six people in Califoia so far this year, and 14 total since 2014, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. All had traveled abroad,

This week, officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at least nine pregnant women who had traveled out to countries affected by the Zika have the virus. Ten more are under investigation. The CDC has issued travel alerts to more than two dozen countries including Brazil, Colombia for two dozen countries and territories where Zika has been present, including in Brazil, El Salvador and Colombia, among others. Last month, the CDC advised pregnant women to avoid traveling to those destinations.

Like West Nile virus, Zika is primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. The virus also can be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her baby during pregnancy or around the time of birth. Some symptoms include fever, a flat red rash and joint pain. Although death is rare, one out of five people infected with Zika virus can become very ill, according to the CDC. There is no vaccine or medications to prevent or treat Zika infections, according to the agency.

Public Health officials said while no local transmission has not occurred in Los Angeles County, the Aedes mosquito that can transmit Zika is present in the San Gabriel Valley and in the Easte part of the County. To reduce the spread of Aedes mosquitos, officials recommend eliminating outdoor containers and other places where water gathers.

- - , .