Health Department Confirms Zika Virus Case In Pelham

PELHAM, AL - The Shelby County Department of Health has confirmed a case of the Zika virus in Pelham. The health department has gone door to door warning Pelham residents of the dangers of the virus since Thursday.

The department has not released details regarding whether the patient contracted the virus in Alabama or elsewhere. Some residents on social media have said they were visited over the weekend by representatives of the health department, but have said it has not been a city-wide warning.

"To date in Alabama, the Zika virus has only been identified in individuals known to have traveled to areas where Zika is known to be endemic," the Alabama Department of Public Health said in a release Monday. "There has been no local transmission."

(For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Patch morning newsletter.)

The virus can be spread through mosquito bites, from a pregnant woman to her fetus, through sex and via blood transfusion. Many people infected with Zika virus won’t have symptoms or will only have mild symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika are

• Fever
• Rash
• Headache
• Joint pain
• Red eyes
• Muscle pain

Symptoms can last for several days to a week. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. Once a person has been infected with Zika, they are likely to be protected from future infections.

This is a developing story, and will be updated as more information is available.

Photo via Shutterstock