Zika Virus Now in Nebraska

Feb. 5, 2016, 11:10 a.m. ·

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The Zika virus is spread most often by mosquitoes. (Photo courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

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Health officials say two travel-related cases of Zika virus have been reported in Nebraska.


State epidemiologist Dr. Tom Safranek talks with NET News Director Dennis Kellogg about the Zika virus, the Nebraska cases and the potential impact on the state. Click the "Listen to this Story" button to hear the interview. (Photo courtesy Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services)

A statement Thursday from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says the cases in Douglas and Sarpy counties are the first in the state.

The department says the people infected are women in their 20s who recently traveled to Zika-affected countries. The outbreak has mainly hit Latin America and the Caribbean.

Neither woman was hospitalized.

The virus is mainly transmitted by mosquito. There has been one reported case in the U.S. of sexual transmission.

While most people infected with the virus do not get sick, health officials are investigating whether there is a link between Zika infections in pregnant women and a rare birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads.