The person who contracted Zika, and who eventually gave the virus to his or her partner via sex, was traveling in Cuba before returning to Florida, the state's Department of Health has confirmed on Tuesday.
- 2 people confirmed to have Zika in Pinellas County
- Person who returned from Cuba transmitted Zika to sexual partner
- State says there is no evidence of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in Florida
- Find out more about Zika and its symptoms, treatments here
- RELATED: 1st sexually-transmitted Zika case of 2017 from Pinellas County
It's the first sexually transmitted case of Zika reported this year, the department said.
The health department reported a person contracted Zika after traveling to Cuba recently, returned to Pinellas County, had sex with his or her partner, and the partner got the disease. The department said both people tested positive for Zika.
Health officials say mosquito reduction measures are taking place in the undisclosed area of Pinellas County.
The Florida Department of Health declared that at the moment, there is no evidence of mosquitoes transmitting Zika in the state. Still, with recent rainfall, preventative measures are being taken across the state to try to limit the mosquito population.
Mosquitoes are the most common carrier of the virus, which can cause fevers, rashes and headaches in adults and serious deformity issues for unborn children if the mother contracts the disease.
There have been 118 cases of Zika statewide in 2017, and 90 of them are from people who contracted Zika outside of the U.S. and then returned to Florida.
The highest number of cases in Central Florida is 10 in Orange County.
The health department said it's critical for people who travel outside of the country to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes for at least three weeks after they return home.