SIERRA VISTA β Cochise County has confirmed three travel-related cases of the Zika virus.
Health officials say the three county residents had recently returned from a trip to Puerto Rico.
That's one of 38 countries subject to Zika-related travel health notices issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The three affected travelers experienced mild symptoms of illness and have since recovered.
The Zika virus is primarily spread through the bite of a mosquito.
Cochise Health and Social Services staff routinely monitors mosquito activity from July through October.
That involves trapping mosquitoes from points throughout the county and testing for a variety of mosquito-borne viruses.
So far this year, mosquito trapping has yielded no positive results for any vector-borne diseases.
Earlier this week, Santa Cruz County announced that a woman who traveled outside the United States to a Zika-affected area has tested positive for the virus.
The diagnosis was confirmed by a private commercial laboratory and is now pending official confirmation by the Arizona Department of Health Services, said Jeff Terrell, director of Santa Cruz County Health Services, on Thursday. It would be the first Zika case in Santa Cruz County.
The woman developed symptoms for the Zika virus and went to her doctor, Terrell said. Once the lab results confirmed she had the virus, it was reported to the county Health Department, he said.
The woman was contacted and told to stay indoors and to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes to prevent further spread of the virus, Terrell said.
Most people infected with the Zika virus do not become ill. Those who do may have symptoms that include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, more commonly called pinkeye.
There are 24 confirmed travel-related Zika virus cases in Arizona, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Three of those cases were in Pima County.
Santa Cruz County health services officials are working with authorities to keep an eye on mosquito breeding areas and are draining standing water. Breeding areas are also being treated with larvicide, Terrell said.
