Texas has reported the first likely case of locally transmitted Zika, becoming only the second continental US state to do so, after Florida.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said a female in Cameron County near the city of Brownsville was diagnosed but is not pregnant
There are currently no other suspected cases in the state but health authorities will still step up measures to stop any possible spread.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is working with Texas health officials on ‘vector control activities.’
"We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas," Dr. John Hellerstedt, Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner, 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."
Zika is spread by Aedes mosquitoes and Florida and Texas are just two of several southern states which has populations of the species.
"Even though it is late in the mosquito season, mosquitoes can spread Zika in some areas of the country. Texas is doing the right thing by increasing local surveillance and trapping and testing mosquitoes in the Brownsville area," said CDC director Tom Frieden.
