A baby girl who died shortly after being born in the Houston area is the first Zika-associated death in Texas.
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. She'd traveled to El Salvador and didn't know she had the virus, KHOU reports. The baby was born with birth defects, including microcephaly, a rare condition in which a baby's head is smaller than average.
It's estimated that up to 13 percent of pregnant woman who have Zika during their first trimester could have a child with microcephaly, experts say.
Umair A. Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health, said in the release that the saddest outcome of Zika's health effects often impact the most vulnerable.
"We are devastated to report our first case of Zika-associated death and our hearts go out to the family," Shah said.
While this is a travel-associated case, Shah said, prevention is key to reducing the risk of the virus. The department encourages people outdoors to use an EPA-registered insect repellent, which contains DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
