(Reuters) - Texas health officials on Monday reported the state’s first case of Zika likely spread by local mosquitoes, making Texas the second state within the continental United States to report local transmission of the virus that has been linked to birth defects.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 6, 2016. REUTERS/Alvin Baez/File Photo

The case involved a woman living in Cameron County near the Mexico border who is not pregnant, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.

Pregnancy is the biggest concern with Zika because the virus can cause severe, life-long birth defects, including microcephaly, in which a child is born with an abnormally small head, a sign its brain has stopped growing normally.

Texas said it currently has no other suspected cases of local Zika transmission, but officials there plan to step up efforts to watch for the virus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was coordinating with state and local officials to increase surveillance efforts and “vector control activities” such as spraying for adult mosquitoes and applying larvicide to kill emerging mosquitoes.

Texas is one of several U.S. states where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry Zika, are present.

Florida’s Miami Dade County has been battling Zika within local mosquito populations since mid-summer. As of today, the state has had 238 cases of locally transmitted Zika.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas,” Dr. John Hellerstedt, Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner, said in a statement.

“We still don’t believe the virus will become widespread in Texas, but there could be more cases, so people need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in parts of the state that stay relatively warm in the fall and winter.”

Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said local transmission in Texas was “totally expected.”

Both dengue and chikungunya, two closely related viruses, have already spread locally in Texas, and the state “is a well-established home” of Aedes mosquitoes.

“What this case underscores is the risk of local transmission in any area in which Aedes mosquitoes are present and the urgent need to continue aggressive vector control measures to minimize the impact of such local introductions,” he said.

Officials in Cameron County and the City of Brownsville have assessed the woman’s home and have begun trapping and testing mosquitoes to understand how widespread the virus is in local mosquito populations.

The city recently sprayed for mosquitoes in the area, and will continue to take action to reduce the mosquito population, state and local officials said.

“Even though it is late in the mosquito season, mosquitoes can spread Zika in some areas of the country,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a statement. “Texas is doing the right thing by increasing local surveillance and trapping and testing mosquitoes in the Brownsville area.”

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for individuals to know whether they have been infected.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last year in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than 2,000 cases of the birth defect.

In adults, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders.</s>DALLAS – Texas on Monday reported its first case of Zika virus that likely came from a mosquito bite within the state.

Florida is the only other state in the U.S. with locally spread Zika. Health officials say that the woman who was infected in Texas is a resident of Brownsville, located on the border the state shares with Mexico. But health officials said she reported no recent travel to Mexico or any other country with ongoing Zika outbreaks.

Until the Florida cases, all the cases in the U.S. were connected to travel to countries with outbreaks, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas,” Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said in a news release. “We still don’t believe the virus will become widespread in Texas, but there could be more cases, so people need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in parts of the state that stay relatively warm in the fall and winter.”

The Texas health department said there are currently no other homegrown cases, but health officials continue to watch for them. Zika is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito, though sexual transmission can occur.

The Texas case was confirmed last week by a lab test. Officials say testing indicates the virus can no longer be spread from her by mosquitoes.

The woman is not pregnant. Infection during pregnancy can lead to severe brain-related birth defects.

Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the state health department, said the woman had fallen ill and gone to her doctor, who ordered the Zika test. Van Deusen said six members of the woman’s household were also tested and do not have the virus.

Most infected people don’t get sick. It can cause a mild illness, with fever, rash and joint pain.

Health workers will be going door-to-door in the area around the patient’s home to educate the public, help people reduce potential mosquito breeding habitats and collect voluntary urine samples to find out if there are other infections.

Health officials for the state and Cameron County are working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the case. State officials say further investigation is necessary to try to figure out how and where the woman was infected.

Officials have been trapping and testing mosquitoes to learn more about activity near her home. Brownsville has recently sprayed for mosquitoes in the area and will continue to work on reducing the mosquito population.

Through last week, Texas has had 257 confirmed cases of Zika virus disease. Until now, all cases in Texas had been associated with travel, including two infants born to women who had traveled during their pregnancy and two people who had sexual contact with infected travelers.</s>An environmental health specialist points out an aegypti mosquito caught on a "mosquito trap" in April 2016 in McAllen, Texas (AFP Photo/John Moore)

Miami (AFP) - Texas has announced its first case of local Zika virus, making it the second US state after Florida to say it likely has mosquitoes spreading the disease that can cause birth defects.

The case involves a woman who is not pregnant and has not recently traveled anywhere that Zika is spreading, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The case is considered "likely" a result of local transmission, until officials find evidence of mosquitoes carrying the disease.

The woman was "was confirmed last week by lab test to have been infected," said the statement.

"She reported no recent travel to Mexico or anywhere else with ongoing Zika virus transmission and no other risk factors."

Texas health officials said there are no other cases of suspected local transmission at this time, but vowed to continue surveillance.

"We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas," said John Hellerstedt, Department of State Health Services commissioner.

"We still don't believe the virus will become widespread in Texas, but there could be more cases, so people need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in parts of the state that stay relatively warm in the fall and winter."

Florida was the first state to report the local spread of Zika, and has reported 238 such cases as of last week, as part of more than 1,200 infections statewide so far this year.

The virus has swept mainly across Latin America and the Caribbean, and can cause birth defects if pregnant women are infected.

A series of brain and skull malformations are associated with Zika, including a condition called microcephaly, in which babies are born with unusually small heads.</s>Texas officials on Monday reported the state’s first case of the Zika virus that was likely transmitted by a local mosquito, expanding the spread within the US of a virus that has been linked to microcephaly, a rare birth defect.

The case involved a woman living in Cameron County near the Mexico border, the Texas department of state health services said.

The state said it currently has no other suspected cases of local transmission.</s>State health officials on Monday announced what appears to be Texas' first homegrown Zika case.Lab tests last week confirmed that a Rio Grande Valley woman contracted the virus from a mosquito bite, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The woman hasn't visited Mexico or anywhere else where Zika is currently being spread, leading state health officials to believe that she contracted the virus from a mosquito in Cameron County, which is at the southernmost tip of the Texas-Mexico border."We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas," said DSHS commissioner John Hellerstedt in a prepared statement Monday. “We still don’t believe the virus will become widespread in Texas, but there could be more cases, so people need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in parts of the state that stay relatively warm in the fall and winter."Scientists have linked the Zika virus in pregnant women to children born with microcephaly, a condition where an infant is born with an unusually small head that doesn't grow and leads to stunted brain development. This summer, Houston-area health officials blamed the death of an infant there on Zika-related complications; the child's mother, who was from El Salvador, had become infected in Central America and arrived in Harris County during her second trimester. Weeks later, state health officials reported Texas' first ever case of inter-state Zika transmission when an El Paso resident came down with the virus after a visit to Miami, where officials have battled local transmission of the virus for months.Luckily the Cameron County woman who came down with Zika this month wasn't pregnant. Health officials say that because her blood is now testing negative for the virus, Zika can't be spread from her by another mosquito bite. "There are no other cases of suspected local transmission at this time, but health officials continue to conduct disease surveillance activities as part of the state's ongoing Zika response," DSHS said in a prepared statement.As of last week, Texas had reported 254 cases of Zika.</s>It appears Texas has its first locally transmitted case of the Zika virus.

Monday afternoon, state health officials announced that a woman living in Cameron County in the Rio Grande Valley tested positive for the birth-defect causing virus. Unlike earlier diagnoses, she had not traveled to an area that's been hit with Zika nor having sexual contact with someone who'd traveled to an affected region.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas,” Dr. John Hellerstedt, Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner, said in a statement Monday. “We still don’t believe the virus will become widespread in Texas, but there could be more cases, so people need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in parts of the state that stay relatively warm in the fall and winter.”

The woman infected with Zika in Cameron County is no longer capable of transmitting the virus to mosquitoes, stemming the chances of a Rio Grande Valley Zika outbreak. At least for now: Dallas, which has been hit with 41 local cases of foreign infection of Zika so far, is in the next risk group after places like the Rio Grande Valley and cities like Houston, according to Zika researcher and University of Texas professor Sahotra Sarkar.

While Dallas County Health and Human Services director Zach Thompson has called local Zika transmission a matter of "when and not if." Still, the spread of the disease is not guaranteed.

Sarkar told the Dallas Observer this summer that the risk of a Dallas Zika cycle was not as a high as it is in South Texas, because of the type of mosquito that's been found to transmit Zika. Because the Aedes aegypti mosquito becomes less prevalent the farther north one goes, "it does mean that by the time you get to North Texas, the chances of Zika establishing local cycles goes down," Sarkar said. "It goes down for the rest of the country."

As a result of the infection in Cameron County, Texas Health and Human Services announced Monday that it is restarting a program that allows Texas women on Medicaid who are pregnant or between the ages of 10 and 45 to get two free cans of approved mosquito repellent per month.

"We will do all that we can to protect Texans and slow the spread of the Zika virus," HHSC Executive Commissioner Charles Smith said. "Insect repellent is the best way to protect yourself, and we want it to be widely available."</s>Texas health officials on Monday reported the state’s first case of Zika likely spread by local mosquitoes. Generic image

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was coordinating with state and local officials to increase surveillance efforts and “vector control activities” such as spraying for adult mosquitoes and applying larvicide to kill emerging mosquitoes.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS - Texas health officials on Monday reported the state’s first case of Zika likely spread by local mosquitoes, making Texas the second state within the continental United States to report local transmission of the virus that has been linked to birth defects.The case involved a woman living in Cameron County near the Mexico border who is not pregnant, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.Pregnancy is the biggest concern with Zika because the virus can cause severe, life-long birth defects, including microcephaly, in which a child is born with an abnormally small head, a sign its brain has stopped growing normally.Texas said it currently has no other suspected cases of local Zika transmission, but officials there plan to step up efforts to watch for the virus.</s>Lab results confirmed the virus in a non-pregnant female resident of Brownsville last week. She has not traveled to an area where the virus is circulating and has no other known exposure to the virus that would have put her at risk for infection.

Health officials said they are not surprised to confirm local transmission of this virus in South Texas, near the Mexico border.

"We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas," state Health Commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt said. He added that more cases are expected, but officials do not believe the virus will be widespread.

It is, however, investigating where the woman became infected by testing mosquitoes found around her home and knocking on her neighbors' doors to request voluntary urine samples and other information to determine whether others are infected. It is also sharing information about the virus and how to protect against it. This includes using mosquito repellant, wearing long sleeves, keeping windows closed, using air conditioning and eliminating standing water. Spraying has also been done in the area. Zika virus: The latest you need to know In addition to ongoing disease surveillance efforts, which are part of the state's Zika action plan, the state medical operations center has been activated to offer support through education and expertise as well as personnel and equipment resources. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with state and local officials to increase mosquito surveillance and vector control. The female Aedes aegypti mosquito, which lives in the area, is primarily responsible for the transmission of Zika, dengue virus and some other diseases. The related Aedes albopictus is also believed to transmit these diseases. State health officials say travel across the border is frequent in the area. Zika transmission has been reported in multiple communities on the Mexican side of the border. "Even though it is late in the mosquito season, mosquitoes can spread Zika in some areas of the country," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC. The weather and climate in Texas are conducive to year-round mosquito activity. It is possible that someone could have Zika without knowing, since an estimated 80% of those infected have no symptoms. When symptoms occur, they can include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, and they can last from a few days to about a week. New CDC guidance on Zika and sex Pregnant women are at greatest risk because they can unknowingly pass the virus to their fetus, leaving devastating consequences including miscarriage and neurological deficits that last a lifetime. Because the virus can also be sexually transmitted, pregnant women or those trying to become pregnant should avoid unprotected sex with a partner who has been infected or who has lived in or traveled to an area where the virus is circulating, as recommended by the CDC See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. There is no treatment or vaccine for Zika, although research efforts are underway to develop one. The only other US state where the virus is known to be circulating is Florida, where state health officials are reporting 238 locally transmitted cases to date.</s>Nearly four months after Florida became the first state in the nation to report a locally acquired Zika infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week that its epidemiologists are working with Texas health officials on what they suspect is that state's first local case.

CDC officials said Zika has been diagnosed in a resident of Brownsville — which borders Mexico at the state’s southernmost tip — without any other known risk factors for contracting the disease, such as sexual transmission or travel to an area where the virus is widespread.

If confirmed, the case would be the first known occurrence of mosquito-borne Zika infection in Texas. And the state would join Florida as the two states in the nation with active local transmission of the virus. Florida reported its first case in late July in a one-square-mile area of Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, followed by cases in Miami Beach and the Little River neighborhood.

In response to the suspected case in Brownsville, Texas health officials stepped up surveillance and spraying to control mosquitoes, the CDC reported, and they are testing for Zika to determine if there have been additional infections in the area.

“Even though it is late in the mosquito season, mosquitoes can spread Zika in some areas of the country,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden. “Texas is doing the right thing by increasing local surveillance and trapping and testing mosquitoes in the Brownsville area.”

In Florida, state health officials report that mosquitoes continue to spread Zika in two areas: a 1.5 square mile area of South Beach between 8th and 28th Streets from the ocean to the bay; and a one-square-mile area of Miami’s Little River neighborhood.

The Wynwood area no longer has active cases. And on Nov. 22, Gov. Rick Scott lifted part of Miami Beach’s Zika zone covering most of Middle Beach after the health department reported that 45 days had passed without a new local case.

Zika spreads to people primarily through the bite of an infected species of mosquito — most frequently , but also sometimes the . Both species are found in Brownsville.

Zika can also spread during sex between an infected person and his or her partner. And though most people infected with Zika won’t have symptoms — which can include fever, muscle pain, rash and red eyes — the virus poses the greatest risk to pregnant women because it can cause a severe birth defect of the brain called microcephaly and other neurological complications in fetuses and infants.

There is no vaccine or therapy to treat or prevent Zika.

As of Monday, the Florida Department of Health reported 1,206 Zika infections statewide, with 953 travel-related cases and 238 locally acquired cases. An additional 15 cases are labeled “undetermined” because the state could not identify the source of exposure due to the person traveling to several areas where the virus is spreading, including most of South Beach and a section of Miami’s Little River neighborhood.

According to the CDC, a total of 4,444 cases of Zika have been reported in the continental United States and Hawaii as of Nov. 23, including 182 infections spread locally by mosquitoes and 36 believed to be the result of sexual transmission.</s>DALLAS — Texas on Monday reported its first case of Zika virus that likely came from a mosquito bite in the state.

Florida is the only other state in the U.S. with locally spread Zika. Health officials said the woman who was infected in Texas is a resident of Brownsville, on the border the state shares with Mexico. But health officials said she reported no recent travel to Mexico or any other country with ongoing Zika outbreaks.

Until the Florida cases, all the cases in the U.S. were connected to travel to countries with outbreaks, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas,” Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said in a news release. “We still don’t believe the virus will become widespread in Texas, but there could be more cases, so people need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in parts of the state that stay relatively warm in the fall and winter.”

The Texas health department said there are currently no other homegrown cases, but health officials continue to watch for them. Zika is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito, though sexual transmission can occur.

The Texas case was confirmed last week by a lab test. Officials said testing indicates the virus can no longer be spread from the woman by mosquitoes.

The woman is not pregnant. Infection during pregnancy can lead to severe brain-related birth defects.

Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the state health department, said the woman had fallen ill and gone to her doctor, who ordered the Zika test.

Most infected people don’t get sick. The virus can cause a mild illness, with fever, rash and joint pain.

Health workers will be going door -to-door in the area around the patient’s home to educate the public, help people reduce potential mosquito-breeding habitats and collect voluntary urine samples to find out if there are other infections.
Texas confirms its first case of locally transmitted Zika virus by mosquitoes, becoming the second U.S. state to report a local transmission of the virus after Florida. The Texas Department of State Health Services says the case involves a woman living in Cameron County, who is not pregnant.