Lehigh University student tests positive for Zika virus

A student at Lehigh University in Bethlehem has recovered from the mosquito-borne Zika virus after traveling overseas, the school said today.

A student at Lehigh University is one of the latest confirmed cases of the Zika virus, according to published reports.

In the Lehigh case, state health officials have indicated that “there is no additional health risk to anyone on campus”, university vice provost John Smeaton said in a health advisory.

Also this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed two female Pennsylvania had tested positive after returning from other countries.

To protect student privacy, the university is not releasing more personal information, Lehigh spokeswoman Lori Friedman said via email.

Last Friday, just prior to the confirmation of these cases, The Pennsylvania Department of Health issued an alert for pregnant women traveling to affected areas and said they were stepping up monitoring for the disease.

This Zika outbreak began in May 2015 and is occurring in many countries. The virus is primarily spread through bites from a specific mosquito. Cases of transmission through blood transfusions and sexual contact have been reported, as have cases of transmission from mother to child.

Dozens of imported Zika virus cases have been reported in the USA from a number of states, according to the CDC. The concern is not the disease itself, Zika’s immediate effects are mild, consisting mostly of a moderate fever and a rash, and only a fifth of those afflicted notice any symptoms. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.