Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Confirms Locally Transmitted Zika Case: 'We Knew It Was Only A Matter Of Time'
A probable case of local transmission of the Zika virus has been reported in Texas, state health officials announced on Monday, making it the second state, after Florida, in which the infection is thought to have been carried from person to person by mosquitoes. The patient is a woman who is not pregnant and lives in Brownsville, on the Gulf Coast near the Mexican border. The state鈥檚 first case of chikungunya, a virus spread by the type of mosquito that carries Zika, was confirmed this year in Brownsville. (McNeil and Fernandez, 11/28)
Health officials in Texas said Monday a woman had been infected with Zika after being bitten by a mosquito there, making Texas聽the second state to have documented local transmission of the virus. The woman lives in Cameron County, which sits along the Mexican border and on the Gulf Coast. The mosquitoes that are the main drivers of the virus thrive in hot, humid climates, and experts had identified South Texas as one of the most likely locations to see the virus spread by local mosquitoes. (Joseph, 11/28)
Lab tests confirmed last week that a woman who lives in Brownsville, Texas, was infected with the virus, state health officials said in a statement. The woman had not recently traveled to Mexico or any other region with an ongoing Zika outbreak. ... The virus was detected in her urine but a blood test was negative, 鈥渋ndicating that the virus can no longer be spread from her by a mosquito,鈥 the statement said. (Simmons, 11/28)
鈥淲e knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas,鈥 John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the state health department, said in a statement. 鈥淲e still don鈥檛 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.鈥 (Chang, 11/28)
Florida is the only other state in the U.S. that has reported locally transmitted cases. About 4,400 people have tested positive for Zika in U.S. states and the District of Columbia, though the vast majority of cases are linked to travel abroad.聽(Ferris, 11/28)
