A Texas resident with no history of travel has been diagnosed with the Zika virus. Officials believe this may be the first case of locally-transmitted Zika in the state.
As the Florida Department of Health
Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Although the patient’s blood tested negative for Zika infection, a urine test confirmed viremia. No other potential Zika cases have been identified in Cameron County or otherwise in Texas; however, surveillance is ongoing.
According to CDC Director, Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, “Even though it is late in the mosquito season, mosquitoes can spread Zika in some areas of the country … Texas is doing the right thing by increasing local surveillance and trapping and testing mosquitoes in the Brownsville area.”
The DSHS is collaborating with Cameron County to oversee an environmental test of the mosquitoes in and around the patient’s home, and is conducting vector-control measures. Professionals are also working towards educating the residents of Brownsville on Zika transmission and prevention, and are collecting urine samples to test for additional cases.
Although the DSHS acknowledges that Valley residents travel to Mexico often, it reminds these individuals that Zika transmission in Mexico is ongoing, and that infection with the Zika virus during pregnancy can cause several congenital neurological complications.
