Number of confirmed Zika cases on the rise in Wake County
WAKE COUNTY (WTVD) -- The number of confirmed Zika cases are rising in Wake County. Health officials say in the last few weeks, three to four people tested positive for the disease.
"Zika has not gone away just because it's not in the news as much," said Wake County Public Health Director Dr. Sue Lynn Ledford.
Ledford says the cases have been associated with travel outside of the United States.
"Every one of the cases are coming from those warmer climate countries," said Ledford. "The majority of people who have Zika have no symptoms so it's not always obvious that you have contracted Zika."
The CDC recently tweeted out steps folks should take to prevent the spread of Zika after traveling abroad. The number one step listed is using insect repellant.
Mosquitos carry Zika and the disease can be sexually transmitted. Infection during pregnancy can cause severe fetal brain defects.
Officials say if you're pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, you should use protection if your partner has traveled outside of the Unites States.
There are a few other ways to combat infection, health officials say. Officials suggest wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts and dumping stagnant water from bird baths or dog bowls sitting outside.
"Make sure you're tipping those because the mosquitoes...that's the perfect location for them to breed and spread," said Ledford.
Experts began studying the mosquito across North Carolina last spring in an attempt to combat Zika.
