First Case Of Zika Virus Infection in the US: Baby Born With Brain Damage In Hawaii

The Zika Virus, transmitted through a mosquito bite, has reached the United States soil. Health officials have confirmed on Saturday, Jan. 16 that a baby with brain damage was born at a hospital in Hawaii.

"The mother became ill with the Zika virus while living in Brazil in May 2015 and the baby was likely infected in the womb," Hawaiian state health officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC said. Zika virus is transmitted through aedes aegypti mosquito bites and can cause brain damage and microcephaly to a baby if the mother is bitten during the first trimester of pregnancy.

CDC spokesman Tom Skinner told Reuters that there are no other cases of Zika virus infection in the U.S. as of now but they expect to see more soon. "But I think it's important for us to understand that there are going to be imported cases of Zika to the United States and we won't be surprised if we start to see some local transmission of the virus," Skinner said.

U.S. health officials issued a travel warning especially to pregnant women last Friday on Jan. 15 among 14 countries and territories in the Caribbean and Latin America that have cases of Zika virus infection. The list includes Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

The CDC also shared some advice on how to prevent mosquito bites and stop the spread of the Zika virus. Using sunscreen, applying insect repellent (especially products with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol), wearing clothes with permethrin, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, emptying standing water, as well as closing the windows and doors are some of the most effective ways to avoid mosquito bites and stop the spread of the Zika virus.