Harris County confirms first Zika-related baby death in Texas

Keep going for a look at what you need to know about Zika.

In this Feb. 11, 2016, file photo of aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen in a mosquito cage at a laboratory in Cucuta, Colombia. Keep going for a look at what you need to know about Zika.

In this Feb. 11, 2016, file photo of aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen in a mosquito cage at a laboratory in Cucuta, Colombia. Photo: Ricardo Mazalan, STF Photo: Ricardo Mazalan, STF Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Harris County confirms first Zika-related baby death in Texas 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

A baby who died shortly after being born had birth defects associated with the Zika virus, Harris County officials said Tuesday.

The newborn girl's death in Harris County would be the second fatality in the continental U.S. linked to the virus and the first death in Texas.

Harris County officials said the mother had recently traveled during her pregnancy to Latin America, where they think she became infected with the virus. They said Zika has not been transmitted locally and surveillance and testing of mosquitoes has not found any evidence of the virus.

READ MORE: Locally transmitted Zika cases confirmed in Florida

"We are devastated to report our first case of Zika-associated death, and our hearts go out to the family," said Harris County Public Health Executive Director Umair Shah in a statement. "While this is a travel-associated case, we know that prevention is key to reducing the risk of Zika virus infection."

The mother returned to the United States in her second trimester but did not know she was infected, Shah said. Her baby was born with microcephaly, in which infected pregnant women's babies are born with a smaller head, an often devastating neurological condition that has been linked to the virus.

That's when doctors began testing.

More than 1,800 cases of Zika have been reported in the U.S., according to federal data. Out of those, six acquired the virus from mosquitoes and all of those cases are in Florida.

The vast majority of Zika cases are travel-related, when travelers were infected overseas.

READ MORE: Pregnant women are fearful living in Miami's Zika hot zone

Texas has 97 reported cases of Zika virus, according to the latest estimates from the Texas department of state health services.

At least 15 babies have been born in the United States with defects linked to the virus, according to data reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of July 28.

Zika emerged as a global threat in 2007 with a series of outbreaks across the Pacific, then started spreading extensively in 2015. More than 50 countries and territories, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, have now reported cases of the virus' local transmission.

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The newborn baby who died had microcephaly, according to Harris County officials.

County officials said the Zika virus is spread mostly through the bite of the Aedes species mosquito, but that it's unusual for people to get severely ill or require hospitalization. There is no vaccine to prevent getting it, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people travelling to areas where Zika is found take precautions and that pregnant women should avoid going to these places altogether. Harris County recommends that travelers contact their health care provider about vaccines or preventive medication. They also urge residents to take precautions such as using an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains one of the following: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett stressed that county and state officials are monitoring Zika-related developments worldwide and "are prepared to respond to any local developments."