AUGUSTA — Maine health officials say a Hancock County resident has tested positive for the Zika virus after traveling to a country that’s dealing with an outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that the infected adult represented the first positive outcome of 25 people who’re being tested.

The person is identified only as an adult 65 or older.

Dr. Siiri Bennett, state epidemiologist, said mosquitoes that carry the virus are not found in Maine, and that “your neighbor who has come home from a trip to South America cannot transmit the virus to you.”

Zika is rapidly spreading through Latin America, and scientists are studying the virus’ possible connection to babies born with unusually small heads. The birth defect is called microcephaly.


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