Case of Zika virus confirmed in Hillsborough County

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Health officials have confirmed three cases of the dangerous mosquito-borne virus, "Zika," in Florida, one of them in Hillsborough County.

Steve Huard with the Hillsborough County Health Department said in the case discovered in Hillsborough County, the person had traveled to Venezuela in December and contracted it.

The other two cases are out of Miami Dade County, where the people had contracted it while traveling to Colombia in December.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of the Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes. Other common symptoms also include muscle pain and headaches.

Deaths are rare, but the CDC says the Zika virus can be spread from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby and can result in brain defects in the baby. The CDC recommends women who are pregnant consider postponing travel to areas where the Zika virus transmission is ongoing, including Haiti and Martinique in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Central and South America. The illness is suspected of causing more than 3,500 babies to be born with brain damage in Brazil.

There is no vaccine or medications to treat or prevent Zika, so the CDC says the best method to prevent Zika is to prevent mosquito bites.

MORE INFO: 

Travel notices: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices

Zika and pregnancy information: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/pregnancy/index.html