The Texas case is the first time that a baby born with microcephaly linked to Zika has died in the USA, the Rare Disease Report noted.
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The virus can be transmitted through mosquitoes, in the womb, through sexual transmission and through infusions.
In June, the House approved a $1.1 billion anti-Zika aid bill that specified it would not fund Planned Parenthood or other abortion providers.
More than 7,300 Americans have been diagnosed with Zika, including 1,825 in the continental US and Hawaii, according to the CDC. Final approval was delayed when the Republican-controlled Congress attached provisions that Democrats oppose because of its anti-abortion angle.
Clinton supported the initial Senate bill, which her policy aide Ann O’Leary called “a critical first step to protect public health and ultimately save lives” in a post on the website Medium. Meanwhile, as the number of cases of local mosquito-borne transmission of the virus increase in the Miami area, a majority of Americans are still largely unconcerned with Zika, the Post reported.
“Zika’s impact on unborn babies can be tragic, and our hearts are with this family”, said Dr John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The mother traveled during her pregnancy to Latin America, where it’s believed she became infected, before giving birth in Harris County, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the county’s public health department.
Monroe County health officials on Tuesday confirmed a case of travel-related Zika, a woman who recently returned from a trip outside the country.
The baby’s condition was confirmed by recent test results, revealing link to Zika.
As of July 29, CDPH has confirmed 114 travel-associated Zika virus infections in 22 counties.
It’s important to note that Zika, though serious, hasn’t been proven to have been transmitted in Texas. But the pregnant Miami woman-who the Journal refers to as patient Miami-Dade #1 and is reportedly in her early 20s-doesn’t have a clear connection to the small area, which has been dubbed a “warning zone”.
A CDC spokesman told AFP by email that the agency is aware of the news from Texas but offered no further details.
There have been no reported cases of Zika transmission by mosquitoes in NY, according to last week’s health department alert.
On Feb. 1, 2016, the World Health Organization declared Zika virus a public health emergency of global concern. State health officials said they are on high alert for the possibility of local transmission.
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“We are minimizing standing water on our campuses as much as we can”, said Sherri Owens, the district spokeswoman. On Tuesday, he reiterated his call for Congress to “show up”, saying, “The federal government must stop playing politics and Congress needs to immediately come back to session to resolve this”.
