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The adult
resident had recently traveled to a country where Zika virus
transmission was ongoing and the infection was confirmed through
testing by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
Virginia Department of Health said in a statement.
"Zika virus is acquired through the bite of an infected
mosquito. Because it is not mosquito season in Virginia, this
individual with Zika virus infection poses no risk to other
Virginians," Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Marissa Levine
said in a statement.
The Arkansas Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed that a
resident of that state who had also recently traveled out of the
country tested positive for Zika.
Levine suggested travelers planning to leave the country this
winter for warmer climates check health travel advisories and
urged pregnant women in particular to avoid Zika-affected
countries.
The virus has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies
in Brazil. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, a close
cousin of dengue and chikungunya, which causes mild fever and
rash.
On Monday, the World Health Organization predicted the virus
would spread to all countries across the Americas except for
Canada and Chile.
(Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington and Curtis Skinner in San
Francisco; Editing by Eric Walsh and Lisa Shumaker)
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