17 July 2017, 15:05 GMT
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus has been confirmed in the US state of Florida, the state's Health Department said in a statement.
"Today the Florida Department of Health is announcing that the first sexually transmitted Zika case in 2017 has been confirmed in Pinellas County," the statement said on Tuesday.
The individual affected had not travelled recently, but that person's partner had recently visited Cuba and was ill with symptoms consistent with Zika.
The Health Department said there was no evidence that the Zika virus is being transmitted through mosquitoes in the state.
It added that mosquito reduction activities are taking place across the state.
The mosquito-borne Zika virus, that originated in Brazil, is typically harmless, but babies born to women who contract the disease while pregnant often suffer from neurological defects.
