Bahamas reports 1st Zika case; says it was contracted abroad
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this Jan. 18, 2016, file photo, a female Aedes aegypti mosquito, known to be a carrier of the Zika virus, acquires a blood meal on the arm of a researcher at the Biomedical Sciences Institute of Sao Paulo University in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Authorities in the Bahamas are reporting the archipelago's first Zika case and say it was contracted elsewhere.
The health minister, Dr. Michael Perry, said Wednesday that the patient is a man who recently traveled to Jamaica. He says the man lives on New Providence island, where the Bahamas capital of Nassau is located.
Zika causes a mild illness in most people but can lead to severe brain-related birth defects if women are infected during pregnancy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The mosquito-borne virus has been spreading across the Americas since last year.