Franklin County man tests positive for Zika

KENNEWICK – Authorities say a Franklin County man in his 30s has tested positive for the Zika virus after a recent trip to Mexico.

The Tri-City Herald reports the Benton-Franklin Health District announced the diagnosis on Wednesday.

Humans get the virus through bites from infected mosquitoes, but once they become infected they can spread it through sexual contact. The kind of mosquito that carries the virus doesn’t live in the Pacific Northwest.

The health district said most people who become infected have few or no symptoms, but infection during pregnancy can lead to severe birth defects including microcephaly.