PhotoA 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 state’s first case of chikungunya, a virus spread by the type of mosquito that carries Zika, was confirmed this year in Brownsville. There have now been 4,444 confirmed cases of Zika infection in the continental United States, including 1,114 in pregnant women. She had no other risk factors, such as having sex with someone who had visited an area with Zika transmission. “We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, the state health commissioner.

Source: New York Times November 28, 2016 20:56 UTC