The Washoe County Health District has confirmed the first pregnancy affected by the Zika virus in this area. In a press release, district officials say that a woman traveled to a country with documented Zika virus transmission and then returned to Washoe County.
The case is actually the fourth confirmed instance of Zika virus infection in the county caused by travel.
Officials are providing the woman and her healthcare provider with the most current information on pregnancy outcomes after exposure to the virus. Those outcomes can include microcephaly, a congenital condition that's associated with an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development.
“It’s hard to imagine the heartache involved with knowing that your pregnancy has been affected in one way or another with the Zika virus,” said Washoe County District Health Officer, Kevin Dick. “We wish the best for this woman and her family.”
Dick says that this incident highlights the risk anyone who is pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, is taking if they or their partner travel to areas affected by the virus.
“There is much that we still do not know about Zika virus,” he said.
You can find guidance for travelers to Zika areas from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here.