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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.
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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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