Cuba detects 17th imported case of Zika

Cuba has detected its 17th case of Zika virus infection in a Cuban health worker who returned from Venezuela on June 7, the Health Ministry said Wednesday.

The 35-year-old patient, who resides in Cuba's eastern Granma province, was infected with the mosquito-borne virus while abroad, according to the ministry.

The day after her return to Cuba, the patient broke out in a skin rash on her chest, face and back, leading her to seek medical treatment. She was hospitalized and the results of a blood test on Tuesday confirmed she had contracted the virus.

She remains "in good general health and is recovering well," said the medical report.

The Zika epidemic has spread rapidly through Latin America after first breaking out in Brazil in early 2015.

The virus can cause debilitating paralysis in adults, though in general, symptoms are mild, including fever and headaches.

However, the virus is linked to a spike in birth defects, such as microcephaly -- babies born with abnormally small heads in infected fetus. Endit