AUSTIN (KXAN) — The second case of Zika virus in Travis County has been confirmed. The woman in her 50s reportedly contracted the virus on her trip to Colombia, according to the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department (A/TCHHSD).
This makes the second confirmed case in Travis County after another resident contracted the illness while traveling to Colombia. The A/TCHHSD says while those who contracted the virus did so abroad, all residents of Travis County need to be wary of the mosquitoes carrying Zika endemic to Central Texas.
- Total U.S. Zika cases from returning travelers
>> 107
- Texas cases
>> 13
- Florida cases >> 28
The virus is transferred from a mosquito bite. It poses the greatest risk to pregnant women, with many babies being born in infected areas with Guillain-Barre syndrome. The birth defect attacks the immune system causing babies to be born with small heads.Symptoms from the virus include:
- Fever
- Rash
- Joint pain
- Conjunctivitis