5 negative, 14 others tested for Zika in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Department of Health says five people have tested negative for the Zika virus and test results for 14 others are pending.

The people who’ve been tested did so because they’ve traveled abroad to areas where they could have been exposed to the mosquito-borne virus.

Most people recover in about a week from symptoms that include fever, a rash and achy joints. But doctors believe the virus puts pregnant women at serious risks for birth defects.

Karen Hacker, director of the Allegheny County Health Department based in Pittsburgh, says the risk for residents in southwestern Pennsylvania is extremely low. She says the risk is for those who’ve traveled to areas in Central and South America where the virus is rampant.