Bahamas reports 1st Zika case; says it was contracted abroad

Authorities in the Bahamas are reporting the archipelago’s first Zika case and say it was contracted elsewhere.

The health minister, Dr. Michael Perry, said Wednesday that the patient is a man who recently traveled to Jamaica. He says the man lives on New Providence island, where the Bahamas capital of Nassau is located.

Zika causes a mild illness in most people but can lead to severe brain-related birth defects if women are infected during pregnancy.

The mosquito-borne virus has been spreading across the Americas since last year.