Zika in Bulloch?

Local officials: Not likely, but possible

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sit in a petri dish at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 27. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus currently spreading throughout Latin America. New figures from Brazil's Health Ministry show that the Zika virus outbreak has not caused as many confirmed cases of a rare brain defect as first feared. - photo by Associated Press

W APTOPIX Brazil Zika V Heal — Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sit in a petri dish at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 27. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus currently spreading throughout Latin America. New figures from Brazil's Health Ministry show that the Zika virus outbreak has not caused as many confirmed cases of a rare brain defect as first feared. - photo by Associated Press

A mosquito-borne virus that has been known since 1947, Zika can affect anyone, but pregnant women are especially vulnerable to the virus, which is believed to cause serious and sometimes deadly birth defects. Transmitted primarily through Aedes mosquitoes, which can be found in the southern United States, the virus may also be transmitted through blood transfusions, sexual contact and laboratory exposure, said Dawn Cheney, infectious control nurse at East Georgia Regional Medical Center. “Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes,” said Dr. Brian DeLoach, medical director of Georgia Southern University Student Health Services.