First Case of Sexually Transmitted Zika Virus in California Reported

The first case of Zika virus acquired in California was confirmed by health department officials on Friday.

A San Diego woman contracted the virus in February after sexual contact with a male partner who had been infected with Zika on a trip to Colombia, a country where the virus is prevalent, San Diego County officials report.

The woman was not pregnant and she and her partner have fully recovered, the California Department of Public Health said.

“This is the first confirmed case in California where Zika virus was transmitted sexually,” California Department of Public Health Director and State Public Health Officer Karen Smith said. “If your partner has traveled to an area where Zika is present, protecting yourself by abstaining from sex or using condoms during sex is the best way to prevent sexual transmission of the Zika virus.”

In California, there have been 22 travel-associated Zika cases in 2015 and 2016. There have been no cases of the virus being acquired from mosquito bites here.

The spread of Zika virus has caused alarm worldwide because it can spread from a woman to her baby during pregnancy and lead to birth defects including microcephaly, a condition, where a baby is born with a smaller head due to abnormal brain development.

State and local health officials offered recommendations to help prevent the spread of Zika virus.

Men who have traveled to an area where Zika virus is present should abstain from sex or use condoms with a partner who is pregnant or trying to become pregnant for the duration of the pregnancy, state health officials said.

Women who want to get pregnant with a partner who has had exposure to Zika virus should talk to their doctor about the risks of Zika virus during pregnancy, state officials said.