First case of Zika virus reported in Southern Nevada

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Thursday, March 24, 2016 | 4 p.m.

A Clark County resident who recently traveled to Central America has tested positive for the Zika virus, the first case of the mosquito-borne disease in Southern Nevada, health officials said.

The man, who was tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had traveled to Guatemala, according to the Southern Nevada Health District. No mosquitoes carrying the virus have been found in Southern Nevada.

The disease, which four out of five people infected will not know they have, can be contracted through a mosquito bite and can be passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy and through sex with an infected male, the Health District said.

Investigators are trying to determine if there is a link between the virus and an increase in birth defects, the Health District said.

Common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes muscle pain and headache. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika, according to the CDC.

“The Health District has been actively monitoring all developments related to the Zika virus and testing potential patients in accordance with CDC guidelines,” said Dr. Joe Iser, chief health officer for the Southern Nevada Health District.