Alabama health officials confirm first Zika virus case in state

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A north Alabama resident who recently traveled to Latin America has been diagnosed with the state’s first confirmed case of the Zika virus, and a few others are being tested, health officials said Wednesday.

The person lives in Morgan County in the Tennessee Valley, visited a country where the virus has been reported and went to a doctor for testing after returning home, said Dr. Jim McVay, a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Public Health.

“The person is fine,” said McVay, who declined to release any information about the patient.

Another person who traveled to a Latin American country tested negative, McVay said, and health officials are awaiting results on tests performed on four other people.

Federal and state officials said cases of the virus have been confirmed in 12 states and the District of Columbia, and acting Alabama State Health Officer Tom Miller said it wasn’t a surprise the virus showed up in Alabama.

“Given the frequency of international travel to affected areas, we anticipate having additional positive cases,” Miller said in a statement. “We are working with the medical community to identify high- risk individuals.”

The Zika virus, which spreads through a certain type of mosquito, moved quickly through Latin America before showing up in the United States. While every case in a U. S. state has involved travel, a few cases have been detected that were acquired in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The virus is suspected of causing a defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads.

“GIVEN THE FREQUENCY OF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL TO AFFECTED AREAS, WE ANTICIPATE HAVING ADDITIONAL POSITIVE CASES.” —

ALABAMA STATE HEALTH OFFICER TOM MILLER