MADISON, Wis. (AP) — State health officials say people are unlikely to contract the Zika virus from mosquitoes in Wisconsin this summer, but they can’t rule it out. Mosquitoes most likely to carry Zika generally are found in the southern U.S. But the estimated range of one species reaches as far north as southern Wisconsin. Karen McKeown, health officer for the state Department of Health Services, says that the risk of acquiring Zika from a mosquito bite in Wisconsin “is really not a concern at this point.” But McKeown says people are encouraged to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. U.S. health officials said last week there is no longer any doubt the Zika virus causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and other severe brain defects.
