TEGA CAY, S.C. -- A Tega Cay resident is the first person in York County to be diagnosed with the Zika virus.  

The person has not been identified, but county officials say they want to ensure there are no additional cases in the area.

"Obviously, we are dealing with something that has a low probability," said Chuck Haynes, with the York County Office of Emergency Management. "It is new to us, it is the first summer we've had it, so it is sort of elevated in people's minds." 

This person is the seventeenth in South Carolina to get the illness after traveling outside of the country. There has been one case in the state of a person contracting Zika through sexual transmission.  

York County officials say there is no indication that mosquitoes in our area are carrying the virus. However, if an infected person is bitten, the virus can spread from there.

"If, by chance, there is something crawling around that might have it, we want to make sure it goes away," said York County Manager, Bill Shanahan.

The county has contracted a private company to spray within a 500-yard perimeter around the infected person's home in Tega Cay. They expect the spraying to happen at some point this week.

Zika has spread throughout South America and the Caribbean and has made its way into portions of the United States.  

"Basically for a healthy adult who is not pregnant, flu-like symptoms, some people don't even know they had it," said Haynes.

He says the virus will generally work its way out of most people's systems in less than two weeks, however, if the infected person is pregnant, the virus can lead to birth defects in babies.

"Obviously, there is a concern for fetuses, so taking action is appropriate," he said. "Although the probability is low, we still have to take it seriously."

The spraying will cost an estimated $7,000 to 12,000. The county and city governments will likely split the bill. 

“We all knew that this was going to continue to spread,” said Patrick Helms with Mosquito Authority.

At this time, the virus is only believed to spread through infected mosquitoes and sexual contact.

But in Utah, a caregiver was diagnosed with the virus after caring for an elderly man who contracted Zika and died.

The caregiver had not traveled overseas and there's no indication of Zika-infected mosquitoes in the state.

“We do not believe Zika can be spread through casual contact, through hugging or kissing,” Dr. Denise Jamieson with the Center for Disease Control explained.

"Be safe" is the message from local mosquito experts.

Experts tell people to minimize exposure, try to wear long sleeves and use bug spray.

They said older neighborhoods, such as Myers Park, with large amounts of foliage, will see the most mosquitoes. And of course, areas with standing water.

“Anything that sits for more than seven days is a potential mosquito breeding zone,” said Helms.

They said citronella candles only work in about an 18-inch radius around the candle.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/health/tega-cay-resident-contracts-zika-virus/276256303