OLYMPIA — State health officials say they have confirmed a case of Zika virus in Washington state.
The state Department of Health received confirmation Monday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta that a Mason County man in his 20s is the first person in the state to test positive for the virus.
Officials say the man visited a Thurston County hospital after traveling to the South Pacific.
Not identified
The Mason County man, who didn’t want to be identified, is among an estimated 50 cases submitted from the state to the CDC for testing in the past few weeks, according to The Seattle Times.
No other cases have been confirmed, health officials have said.
“Because many people travel to and from places where Zika is spreading, we’ve been expecting to have imported cases of Zika virus,” Dr. Scott Lindquist, the state epidemiologist for communicable diseases, said in a statement.
The Mason County man is among 82 people nationwide who have been confirmed to have contracted the mosquito-borne infection while traveling outside the country, according to The Times.
Zika has been spreading through Brazil and has been detected in at least 29 other countries in Latin America, the CDC said.
It also is being transmitted in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
No local transmission of Zika virus by mosquitoes has been detected in the U.S., The Times said.
However, Dallas health officials this month confirmed a case of Zika virus transmitted through sex.
The mosquito-borne virus causes no more than a mild illness in most people but has been linked to severe birth defects.
President Barack Obama on Monday sent lawmakers an official $1.9 billion request to combat the spread of the Zika virus in Latin America and the U.S.
