(The Center Square) – Virginia health officials are monitoring for additional dengue cases after confirming the first documented infection acquired within the state.

Officials say there is no evidence the mosquito-borne virus is continuing to spread.

The Virginia Department of Health disclosed the case in a Tuesday letter to healthcare providers. The Northern Virginia resident had no known travel outside Virginia before becoming sick.

Health officials believe they know how the infection happened. The resident had been in close proximity to another Virginian who contracted dengue while traveling internationally and was diagnosed a couple of weeks earlier.

The Health Department said a local mosquito likely bit the person with the travel-related infection while that person was infectious and later transmitted the virus to the second resident.

“There is no evidence of continued transmission and no additional reports of locally acquired dengue cases at this time,” a statement from the Health Department said. “The potential risk for acquiring dengue virus in Virginia remains low.”

Still, state and local health officials are watching for additional cases.

The Health Department is working with the Fairfax County and Loudoun County health departments to monitor for infections and mosquitoes capable of carrying the virus.

Healthcare providers are also being asked to consider dengue when patients show symptoms consistent with the virus, even if they have not recently traveled.

Dengue is spread primarily through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. Symptoms can include fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, nausea, vomiting and rash. Symptoms typically last two to seven days, and most people recover in about a week, according to the state Health Department.

Severe illness is less common. The Health Department says about 1 in 20 people infected with dengue develop severe symptoms, which can include internal bleeding and shock.

Most dengue cases reported in the continental United States involve people infected while traveling internationally, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Local transmission can happen because mosquitoes capable of carrying dengue are found in many parts of the country, but the CDC says the risk of widespread transmission remains low.

Limited local spread has previously been reported in Florida, Hawaii, Texas, Arizona and California.

Virginia health officials are urging residents to prevent mosquito bites and get rid of standing water around homes and businesses. Aedes mosquitoes can breed in water-filled containers as small as a bottle cap.

This post was originally published on The Center Square.