JACKSON, Miss.- The Mississippi State Department of Health has announced three new cases of Zika Virus have been found in Mississippi.
The cases were reported in residents from Chickasaw, Hinds, and Rankin Counties who recently traveled to St. Thomas, Nicaragua and Guatemala respectively.
The total for 2016 is now at eight.
Two cases were reported last week in DeSoto and Madison Counties also from residents who had traveled overseas. Before that three other cases were found earlier this year.
Zika Virus is transmitted through mosquitoes and is especially dangerous for pregnant women. It can cause irreparable birth defects. Death is very rare.
80 percent of people who are infected have mild or no symptoms at all. The type of mosquito spreading the virus is, Aedes aegypti. It has not been found in Mississippi since the early 90’s.
