Florida reports 1st sexually transmitted Zika case in 2017

HEALTH

Florida reports 1st sexually transmitted Zika case in 2017

The Associated Press Published Tuesday, August 1, 2017 5:27PM EDT

This January 2016 microscope image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the Zika virus. (Cynthia Goldsmith/CDC via AP)

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MIAMI - Florida health officials are reporting the state's first sexually transmitted case of Zika in 2017.

According to a Florida Department of Health statement , the Pinellas County resident's partner showed symptoms of the mosquito-borne virus after a recent trip to Cuba. Officials said both patients tested positive for Zika.

Zika can cause a mild illness, with fever, rash and joint pain. Infection during pregnancy can lead to severe brain-related birth defects.

The health department said there's no evidence of mosquitoes transmitting Zika anywhere in Florida. Most of Florida's 118 Zika cases this year have been linked to travel outside the continental U.S. The only local cases confirmed this year all were linked to exposure to the virus in 2016.

Last week, Texas health officials reported a Zika infection likely contracted through a mosquito bite in recent months.