Pittsburgh researcher accidentally infected with Zika virus

A researcher conducting a lab experiment at the University of Pittsburgh accidentally pricked herself with a needle last month and became infected with the Zika virus, school officials said Thursday.

The unidentified woman was found not to have traveled to an endemic area or acquired Zika through sex, making this the first reported case of a person becoming ill with the virus through a needle stick, the university said. The woman pricked herself on May 23, developed symptoms on June 1, and returned to work five days later after her fever went away, ABC News reports. Symptoms of Zika include fever, rash, red eyes, muscle pain, joint pain, and headache, but many people never develop any symptoms.

For the next three weeks, the researcher will wear pants and long sleeves and use insect repellant due to concerns that if a mosquito bites a person with Zika, the virus could be transmitted to another person bit by that insect. The director of the Allegheny County Health Department said there is currently no risk of residents contracting Zika from mosquitos in the area.

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