FRANKFORT, KY – State officials say six people, including at least one pregnant woman, have been diagnosed with the Zika virus in Kentucky.
All of the confirmed cases got the disease while traveling abroad to Zika-infected areas. State health officials say, so far, no one has contracted the virus in Kentucky.
But Health and Family Services Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson said it is “very possible” the disease will spread in Kentucky this summer unless people take precautions against mosquitoes. Officials recommend eliminating standing water, wear insect repellent and to keep gutters clean so water can run freely.
The Zika virus is rarely fatal and most people do not show symptoms. But if women are infected during pregnancy, the infants can be born with serious defects, including microcephaly, a condition where the baby’s head is smaller than normal.