WASHINGTON — There is one case of Zika in Maryland, state officials confirmed Thursday at a news conference.
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene says it is the state’s first confirmed case of the virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas and is primarily spread through mosquito bites.
The patient had traveled to a country where Zika transmission has been active, the department says. A blood test confirmed that the patient had Zika.
The D.C. Department of Health confirmed three cases of Zika in the District. The Virginia Department of Health says it has one confirmed case in the commonwealth.
“Our department will continue to actively partner with the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], Maryland healthcare providers, laboratories, and health departments to provide support to Marylanders at risk of Zika infection — especially to pregnant women,” Secretary Van T. Mitchell said in a news release.
“As CDC guidance has evolved, we actually have expanded access to testing for people who had not met that agency’s initial testing criteria.”
Earlier this month, health officials reported that a person in Texas became infected with the Zika virus through sex.
