LAKE WORTH, Fla. (AP) — Officials say a second person in Palm Beach County, Florida, has contracted the Zika virus through a local mosquito.
Florida’s Department of Health said in a statement Wednesday that a 24-year-old Lake Worth woman has been confirmed to have contracted the virus.
Officials say the woman was hospitalized last week with classic Zika symptoms that included fever, rash, eye redness and joint pain, but a final diagnosis did not come until Tuesday. The woman says she hasn’t traveled outside of the county in months.
The number of non-travel related cases in Florida now stands at 43, with the majority having occurred in Miami-Dade County. Palm Beach County is north of Miami.
Zika causes a mild illness in most people but can lead to severe brain-related birth defects if women are infected during pregnancy.
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