Mary Bowerman

USA TODAY Network

Texas reported its first case of locally transmitted Zika on Monday, becoming the second state in the United States to confirm local transmission of the virus.

Lab results confirmed last week that a south Texas woman was infected, according to Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) officials. The Cameron County resident is not pregnant and reported no recent travel to Mexico or other areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission.

“Laboratory testing found genetic material from the Zika virus in the patient’s urine, but a blood test was negative, indicating that the virus can no longer be spread from her by a mosquito,” Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement.

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Health officials are not surprised that a local transmission was found in the state, according to Dr. John Hellerstedt, the TDSHS commissioner.

“We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas,” Hellerstedt 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.”

The Zika virus is usually spread from human to human by the bite of infected mosquitoes. It can also pass from mother to child, through sex, and through blood transfusions.

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Both Texas and Florida have the mosquitoes that spread Zika, called the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. And both have experienced clusters of mosquito-borne diseases in recent years, including dengue and chikungunya. Those outbreaks have been relatively small, however, thanks to the widespread use of screens and air conditioning, which limit Americans' exposure to mosquito bites.

Zika can cause a range of devastating birth defects, including microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and, in most cases, incomplete brain development, according to the World Health Organization.

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The state is investigating where and how the infection occurred, according to the statement. Health officials will be going door-to-door in the area and requesting voluntary urine samples to determine whether other infections are present.

Follow Mary Bowerman on Twitter: @MaryBowerman.

Contributing: Susan Miller.

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