The North Dakota Department of Health recently received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that a woman who traveled to Puerto Rico while pregnant has tested positive for Zika virus.
While Zika is associated with microcephaly and other birth defects, none have been identified in the infant. As a precaution, the NDDoH plans to monitor the infant for a year. The woman is the first North Dakota resident to test positive for Zika.
Zika virus is spread primarily through the bite of an Aedes species mosquito. It can be passed from an infected mother to her fetus. In addition, the virus can be transmitted sexually from a man to his sex partners.
