KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM) — Kalamazoo County health officials are warning women traveling to tropical regions for spring break to wear long sleeves and bring mosquito repellent in an effort to slow the spread of the Zika virus.
Lynne Norman with the Kalamazoo branch of Health and Community Services said, currently, there’s no vaccine for the virus. She also said it can be transmitted through unprotected sex with men.
They can pass it along to a pregnant partner, or, if the partner is trying to get pregnant, they should avoid that if the partner has traveled to a Zika-infected area,” Norman said.
The virus, which is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites, has been linked to severe cranial birth defects in newborns.
Michigan’s first reported case of Zika came from a 61-year-old Lansing-area woman who recently returned from Barbados.
