A Clay County man who traveled to Haiti is West Virginia's first confirmed case of the Zika virus, the state Department of Health and Human Resources said Thursday.
The Bureau for Public Health received results from the testing Thursday.
"With the number of Zika outbreaks occurring in many parts of the world where West Virginians travel for vacation, business or mission work, the likelihood of a finding a Zika case in our state was foreseeable," Dr. Rahul Gupta, state health officer and Commissioner for the Bureau for Public Health, said in a statement.
The man, who was traveling for mission work and returned in early February, is no longer exhibiting symptoms and has fully recovered, Gupta said.
He is one of 15 West Virginians that the DHHR has collected samples from to send to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Bureau has received the results of three of those tests, including the positive test for the Clay County man. Since late January, the DHHR has received 27 calls about suspected Zika infections.
The virus in pregnant women has been linked to microcephaly, a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs during fetal development and causes abnormally small heads and impaired brain development in affected children. Because of this, the CDC has warned pregnant women and those who might become pregnant to avoid traveling to areas where the virus is active. Of the 11 samples the bureau has not received results for, eight are from pregnant women, Gupta said.
"It's important to remember that four out of five persons who have the Zika virus experience no symptoms at all, and of those who do experience symptoms, they are usually mild and recover fully," Gupta said in the statement. "However, if you are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant around the time you will be traveling to parts of the world where Zika virus is occurring, you should consider postponing trips to those areas at this time."
Because many Zika cases are asymptomatic, the state recommends that pregnant women who have traveled to countries where the virus is endemic be tested, even if they have not become ill.
There have been no confirmed cases of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes inside the United States, but Gupta said he anticipates that the country eventually will have to deal with cases transmitted by native mosquitoes.
Two types of Aedes mosquitoes carry the virus, and one is native to West Virginia - increasing the risk that a native mosquito could contract the disease and spread it, Gupta said.
"There have been no domestic transmissions from mosquitoes to human beings, though there is an expectation that that might happen, once we get warmer weather," he said.
Zika also can be transmitted sexually - a case of the virus transmitted through intercourse was reported in Florida on Wednesday. Gupta said those who have traveled to Zika-endemic countries should be tested for the virus and practice safe sex to avoid transmitting the disease to a partner.
"In human-to-human transmission, one way that can happen is in utero, from mother to child, it can be transmitted sexually, and it can be transmitted by blood transmission," Gupta said. "Those are the routes we have the information to believe exist at this time, and a lot of that information continues to develop."
The bureau is in the process of developing a strategy to combat the potential spread of Zika. Because symptoms of the virus can mimic the flu, those who have traveled to endemic countries should visit their doctor and request being tested for Zika, Gupta said.
For more information, or to report a suspected case of Zika, visit www.dide.wv.gov or call 304-558-5358, Ext. 1.
Staff writer Lori Kersey contributed to this report.
Reach Lydia Nuzum at lydia.nuzum@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5189 or follow @lydianuzum on Twitter.