Aside from the Aedesaegypti mosquito, U.S health officials recently confirmed that Zika virus can also be transmitted sexually. The first case of Zika virus infection in the United States was confirmed on Feb. 2, 2016. It is also the first recorded to be transmitted sexually.

According to BBC News, the case was identified in a Dallas resident who had sexual intercourse with a person infected by the Aedes aegypti mosquito in another country. The affected individual did not travel to infected areas but the partner had reportedly returned from Venezuela.

Anne Schuchat, CDC principal deputy director, said that the Dallas case was the first that they dealt with involving a non-traveler.

“We don’t believe this was spread through mosquito bites, but we do believe it was spread through sexual contact,” Schuchat said. The case is significant and parallel with HIV or AIDS. It can also be worse in certain ways, because transmission can happen in two modes.

Until the recent U.S. case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) already recorded 31 cases of individuals, including six from Texas, of infections from mosquitoes outside the United States. Based on recent CDC data, there were 19 cases of Zika virus that were locally transmitted by mosquitos in Puerto Rico and one case in the Virgin Islands.

Fox News Latino reported that after the confirmation from the CDC laboratories, the Dallas Health County Health and Human Services Department said that the recent case increases their awareness campaign to educate the public about protecting themselves and others. Health Department Director Zachary Thompson added that aside from abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against sexually transmitted infections.

The CDC also added that the best ways to avoid Zika virus are to prevent mosquito bites and avoid being exposed to the semen of an infected person.

The same BBC News article also noted that Zika virus is spreading in various parts of North and South America. The World Health Organization (WHO) already declared the virus a global public health emergency, putting it in the same category of concern as Ebola.

The American Red Cross, in the meantime, encouraged potential blood donors coming back from infected countries to wait at least 28 hours, before giving their blood.

Brazil is the country most affected by the virus, with thousands of reported cases at present and babies being born with microcephaly. The WHO warned that it might take up to nine months to determine whether Zika virus and infants with microcephaly have a connection.