Zika Virus Confirmed In Champaign County
In this Jan. 18, 2016, file photo, a female Aedes aegypti mosquito, known to be a carrier of the Zika virus, acquires a blood meal on the arm of a researcher at the Biomedical Sciences Institute of Sao Paulo University in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Andre Penner/Associated Press
Champaign County has its first confirmed case of the Zika virus. Julie Pryde, Administrator of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, said a lab test was confirmed Friday by the Illinois Department of Public Health. She says there’s no threat to the public.
But Pryde could not confirm whether this case involved involved a female University of Illinois student.
The News-Gazette reports that student sought treatment at the U of I's McKinley Health Center after returning from a Zika-infected area.
On August 15, McKinley posted a message on its website, stating it had seen its first Zika case.
It said,"Because of the large number of our community who may have travelled to affected areas or are contemplating travel, it is likely that additional individuals among the University community will be exposed to the virus which causes Zika infection"
Director Dr. Robert Palinkas confirmed to the newspaper Thursday that person is a student.