Fourth Zika case in Merced County pending

A fourth adult in Merced County is awaiting test results to confirm whether he or she has Zika, Merced County’s Public Health Director Kathleen Grassi said Thursday.

There’s no estimate for when those results are expected.

Though three cases of Zika have been confirmed in Merced County, mosquito abatement officials said no mosquitoes that carry the virus have been found here.

All three cases involved men who traveled to areas where Zika is prevalent, Grassi said.

The most recent confirmed case was reported in Los Banos.

The Los Banos resident traveled to Mexico, said Allan Inman, entomologist at the Merced County Mosquito Abatement District.

In the other cases, a man from Winton traveled to El Salvador and a man from Merced traveled to the Dominican Republic.

All three men have recovered, Grassi said. No Zika-confirmed pregnancies have been reported.

“We are getting routine reports from providers,” Grassi said. “Staff are reading those, but most cases don’t qualify for testing.”

Inman said a UC Merced professor and her students monitor the areas around where the Zika cases are reported to ensure no Zika-carrying mosquitoes, called Aedes aegypti, are present. So far, none have been found in Merced County, he said.

County officials advise residents traveling to transmission areas to wear mosquito repellent during the day, when the Aedes aegypti bite, as well as remove standing water at home and make sure screens are in good condition.

Four out of five people infected with the Zika virus show no symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit Minnesota-based medical clinic. When symptoms do occur they begin, usually, two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

Symptoms include rashes, mild fever, muscle and joint pains, headaches or red eyes. Rios said individuals experiencing symptoms should be checked by their primary caregiver.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the virus has been linked to neurological disorders along with miscarriages and birth defects.

This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Fourth Zika case in Merced County pending."