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The woman who is not pregnant returned from Puerto Rico in late April and became ill on April 29 with a rash, conjunctivitis and other symptoms associated with Zika virus, DPH said. The other patient, who is nine weeks pregnant, returned from the Dominican Republic also in late April and became ill on April 28 with a rash, DPH said.
"As we head into the summer travel months, it is very important for travelers to Zika-affected areas to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. This is particularly critical for pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant, who should postpone travel to these areas if at all possible," DPH Commissioner Dr. Raul Pino said.
In Connecticut, 252 patients, including 221 pregnant women, have been tested for Zika virus. Six of the patients tested have been positive for travel-related Zika, including Thursday’s two case, DHP said.
Of the six, the first four have fully recovered from the virus. The two pregnant patients will continue to be monitored for the duration of their pregnancies for signs of birth defects, such as microcephaly, which have occurred in some babies whose mothers contracted Zika while pregnant.
The other Connecticut woman who is pregnant and has the Zika virus is Sara Mujica of Danbury, who contracted the Zika virus on a trip to Honduras.n
The areas visited by the eight Zika positive patients where they became infected with Zika virus are Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Colombia and Ecuador.
To date, 503 cases of travel-related Zika have been reported in the continental United States. Of those, 48 cases involved were pregnant women and 10 cases were sexually transmitted.
There is no vaccine for Zika, and deaths are rare. But the virus can spread from pregnant women to their fetuses, possibly leading to birth defects and miscarriages.
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