New Jersey Confirms 1st Zika Case in 6 Years as U.S. Total Reaches 6 Travel-Linked Infections
Updated
Updated · Gothamist · Aug 15
New Jersey Confirms 1st Zika Case in 6 Years as U.S. Total Reaches 6 Travel-Linked Infections
3 articles · Updated · Gothamist · Aug 15
Summary
A Middlesex County resident contracted Zika in New Jersey’s first reported case since 2020, with state health officials saying the infection was acquired during travel and public risk remains low.
Six U.S. Zika cases have been reported so far in 2026, according to CDC data, and all have been linked to travel rather than local mosquito transmission.
Zika usually causes mild illness—fever, rash, headache, joint and muscle pain, and red eyes—but it poses a serious threat during pregnancy because it can cause birth defects.
The virus can spread through mosquito bites, sex, or from a pregnant person to a fetus, and there are still no approved vaccines or medicines to treat it.
Cases have fallen sharply since the 2015-2016 outbreaks that put Zika on the national radar; neighboring New York reported one travel-related case last year and no local transmission.