Residents of Virginia, Arkansas test positive for Zika virus

Health officials in Arkansas and Virginia confirmed Tuesday that residents of those states had tested positive for the mosquito-born Zika virus.

The Virginia Department of Health said an adult resident of the state had recently travled to a country where the Zika virus transmission was ongoing. A statement from the department added that residents were not at risk of catching the virus from the infected person. 

“Zika virus is acquired through the bite of an infected mosquito,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Marissa Levine said in a statement. “Because it is not mosquito season in Virginia, this individual with Zika virus infection poses no risk to other Virginians.”

Earlier Tuesday, the Arkansas Department of Health confirmed that an individual who recently traveled outside the U.S. had tested positive for the virus. 

Officials in both states urged residents planning to travel overseas to check health advisories. In particular, they warned pregnant women to consider postponing trips to 22 Zika-affected countries and territories in the Caribbean, as well as Central and South America.

In addition, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that a young girl who traveled to El Salvador in late November had been infected with the illness, but had since recovered. 

The Zika virus has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil, with researchers reporting an increase in a rare birth defect named microcephaly — babies born with abnormally small heads.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.