Zika virus is primarily spread to people through mosquito bites. The virus can be spread from mother to child. Spread of the virus through blood transfusion and sexual contact has also been reported.
Most people infected with the virus have mild or no symptoms. For those who do develop symptoms, illness is generally mild and typically lasts a few days to a week. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes).
Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon and fatalities are rare. An increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome was noted during an outbreak of Zika virus in French Polynesia in 2014. An increase in microcephaly was noted during an outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil in 2015.
Zika Virus – January 10, 2017
DSHS and Cameron County Health and Human Services have announced six cases of Zika virus disease likely transmitted by mosquitoes in Texas. Additional information on those cases and the response is available via the news release links above.
Through the week ending Jan. 6, Texas has reported 298 cases of illness due to Zika virus. The count includes 26 pregnant women, two infants infected before birth, and two people who had sexual contact with travelers.
Texas Zika Cases by County:
County (A – H) | Cases |
---|---|
Angelina | 2 |
Bastrop | 1 |
Bell | 7 |
Bexar | 20 |
Brazoria | 1 |
Brazos | 4 |
Burnet | 1 |
Cameron | 16 |
Collin | 5 |
Dallas | 46 |
Denton | 9 |
El Paso | 3 |
Ellis | 1 |
Fort Bend | 10 |
Frio | 1 |
Galveston | 9 |
Gray | 1 |
Grayson | 1 |
Gregg | 1 |
Hamilton | 1 |
Harris | 73 |
Hays | 1 |
Hidalgo | 6 |
Hockley | 1 |
County (J – W) |
Cases |
---|---|
Jackson | 1 |
Jefferson | 2 |
Jones | 1 |
Lee | 1 |
Lubbock | 1 |
Matagorda | 1 |
Medina | 1 |
Midland | 1 |
Montgomery | 1 |
Navarro | 1 |
Palo Pinto | 1 |
Parker | 1 |
Randall | 1 |
Rusk | 1 |
Smith | 1 |
Starr | 1 |
Tarrant | 26 |
Travis | 18 |
Upshur | 1 |
Val Verde | 1 |
Walker | 1 |
Willacy | 1 |
Williamson | 5 |
Webb | 6 |
Wise | 1 |
Note: Zika case data for Texas will be updated each Tuesday.
January 10, 2017 - Weekly Texas Data for National Zika Pregnancy Registry
Texas has reported 142 individuals into the CDC’s Zika Pregnancy Registry. The registry includes pregnant women and infants with laboratory evidence of Zika infection, whether or not they ever had symptoms. Texas provides data to the Zika Pregnancy Registry weekly.
The registry casts a wider net – beyond reported Zika cases – to track and follow pregnancies that may have been impacted by Zika. States are reporting cases but also the number of pregnancies that can’t be confirmed to be Zika-infected but have some lab indication of a flavivirus infection. Flaviviruses are known to cross-react during antibody testing, making it difficult to determine if the person was infected with Zika or some other flavivirus.
Who Texas Counts for the CDC Registry
Any pregnant woman or newborn residing in Texas whose testing for Zika virus infection yielded positive or inconclusive test results, regardless of symptoms.
Who Texas Counts as Zika Pregnancy Case
To be reported as a Zika pregnancy case, the pregnant woman has to have had one or more clinical sign or symptom compatible with Zika and also have a positive Zika test result.
Note: Pregnancy Registry counts will be updated weekly. No other details will be provided about Texas pregnancies reported to the CDC due to privacy concerns and that it is not warranted from a public health standpoint.