Texas officials confirm sexually transmitted case of Zika virus

A county health department in Texas has confirmed the first sexually transmitted case of Zika virus, also making it the first locally acquired case of Zika in the U.S. 

Dallas County Health and Human Services said it received confirmation that a Texas resident contracted the virus after having sexual contact with a person who retued from a country where Zika was present. There are currently six confirmed Zika cases in Texas. 

"Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others," said Zachary Thompson, DCHHS director.

The virus, which one World Health Organization official said was spreading at an "explosive" rate, has been confirmed in several states since the outbreak of the illness. All previous cases in the U.S. were travelers retuing to the U.S. from countries where the virus was present.

People have been known to contract Zika after being bitten by an infected Aedes mosquito.

Details about the infected woman have not been released, but she is not pregnant, according to The Dallas Moing News. Most fears about Zika focused on the effects that women can pass on to their children if infected while pregnant. 

Symptoms of the virus include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, and according to Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, an assistant professor in the department of environmental sciences at Emory College in Atlanta, most people infected with the virus clear it from their blood in less than a week. 

The CDC has not confirmed that the virus was transmitted sexually, but according to the organization's website, spread of the virus through blood transfusion and sexual contact have been reported before.