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New Hampshire Officials Confirm State's First Case of Zika

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State officials have confirmed the first case of Zika virus in New Hampshire.

A New Hampshire woman got Zika from having sex with a partner who had traveled to a country where the virus is being transmitted by mosquitos. The state says she's now in good health.

Still, officials are reminding people of Zika's potential danger to pregnant women because the virus is feared to cause birth defects.

"Pregnant women and non-pregnant women alike need to take certain precautions," says Dr. Ben Chan, the state's epidemiologist, "especially if they or their male sexual partners travel."

Those precautions include avoiding traveling to places with Zika-transmitting mosquitos, and avoiding unprotected sex with male partners who travel to those areas.

Before joining NHPR in August 2014, Jack was a freelance writer and radio reporter. His work aired on NPR, BBC, Marketplace and 99% Invisible, and he wrote for the Christian Science Monitor and Northern Woodlands.
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