Virginia Ranked Sixth in Zika Cases

with reporting by Kara Seymour

Cases of Zika in Virginia are outpacing several larger states, according to new data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control. Virginia ranks sixth in the total number of Zika cases.

There are now 26 confirmed cases of the virus in Virginia. All of those cases involved an individual traveling to a country where Zika is known to be transmitted by mosquitoes. The virus can also be transmitted sexually.

Fifteen of the cases were reported in Northern Virginia. Click here to view the full map of cases in the United States that was updated by the CDC Thursday.

The CDC has confirmed that the virus is responsible for causing severe defects in unborn children, including microcephaly, which leaves babies with abnormally small heads and often with brains that do not develop properly.

In total there are 756 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in the United States; 234 of those cases are among pregnant women.

Zika is a mosquito-borne illness that is characterized by a fever, rash and joint pain. While the illness typically resolves within a week, some severe cases may require hospitalization. Aside from mosquitoes, Zika can be spread through sexual contact in some cases, the CDC notes.

Meanwhile, authorities are scrambling to prevent the spread of the disease in the United States. Zika is spread by a specific type of mosquito — the Aedes aegypti mosquito. There is currently no vaccine for the virus.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were once thought to be a threat to only the southern areas of the United States. But the CDC maps shows the possibility of that mosquitoes species reaching as far as New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania this year.

The CDC offers these tips to prevent the spread of the disease:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Stay in places with air conditioning and window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
• Take steps to control mosquitoes inside and outside your home.
• Sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are overseas or outside and are not able to protect yourself from mosquito bites.
• Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or para-menthane-diol.
• To prevent the spread of sexually-transmitted Zika, condoms should be used properly. "We do not know how long the virus can stay in the semen of men who have had Zika, and how long the virus can be spread through sex," the CDC says.

Photo: CDC.gov