The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said in announcing the case Friday that the person had traveled to a country with “local Zika virus transmission.” The department said confirmation came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Kansas is prepared for the Zika virus,” said Susan Mosier, KDHE secretary. “We are working with health care providers across the state to respond to both suspected and confirmed cases. I urge everyone who is considering travel to a country with Zika transmission to be aware of the situation and take precautions to protect themselves and prevent mosquito bites.”

Missouri confirmed its first Zika case last week, contracted by a man who recently traveled to Haiti. Last month, the CDC announced at least nine pregnant U.S. women had contracted the virus, with more cases likely.

Nationwide, nearly 200 cases of Zika had been confirmed as of Thursday — all traced to travel abroad. Health officials have asked Congress to provide $1.9 billion to fight the virus in Latin America and help prevent it from spreading in the continental U.S. Some of the money would go to Puerto Rico, where 159 cases have been reported. Capitol Hill Republicans so far have deferred the request, insisting leftover Ebola funds could be used instead.

The Washington Post reported Monday that widespread budget cuts to health services could hamper some states’ ability to fight and contain the virus. That report cited Kansas as among six states that have cut their health spending for three consecutive years.

Related: Five ways scientists are going after the Zika virus

Health officials say the virus is transmitted by a specific type of mosquito and most people who get the disease have no symptoms. Others with the Zika virus suffer from fever, rash, joint pain and pink eye. It can also be sexually transmitted, researchers recently confirmed, with most U.S. cases so far attributed to that mode.

Health officials are investigating whether the virus is linked to birth defects in the children of women who caught the virus while pregnant, specifically microcephaly, which causes infants to develop abnormally small heads. The health ministry of Brazil, one of the epicenters of the global Zika outbreak, on Thursday reported 4,976 cases of microcephaly now believed to be linked to the virus.

Five things to know about Aedes mosquitoes

Behind the tropical disease outbreak is a tiny menace that just won’t go away.

It’s called the Aedes aegypti, a species of mosquito that has played a villainous role in public health history and defeated attempts to eradicate it from the New World.

Five things to know about the bug:

First in Africa

Aedes aegypti is a small, dark, hot-weather mosquito with white markings and banded legs. Scientists believe the species originated in Africa, but came to the Americas on slave ships. It’s continued to spread through shipping and airplanes. Now it’s found through much of the world, including the southern United States.

Once yellow fever

Early in the 20th century, scientists showed it was the engine behind devastating yellow fever outbreaks. It became known as the yellow fever mosquito, although that name has been used less often since a successful vaccine was developed against yellow fever. Since then, it’s also been identified as a carrier for other tropical illnesses such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika fever. Scientists are investigating whether other types of mosquitoes are spreading Zika in Latin America and the Caribbean, too.

City dweller

Aedes aegypti is the primary spreader of Zika and some other tropical diseases, largely because of its unusually cozy relationship with people. While other species thrive in more rural areas, or at least in parks and gardens, this is a domesticated species — sort of a housecat mosquito — accustomed to living in apartment buildings and city centers. It prefers biting people to animals and likes to feed indoors, during daylight hours. Also, it is a hardy bug that can be particularly challenging to get rid of.

Killed off, it came back

In the early 20th century, many countries developed programs to destroy all Aedes aegypti mosquitoes through spraying chemicals and other measures. By 1970, it was eradicated from much of South America — including Brazil. But many mosquito-control programs were cut back. Reasons included budget cuts, and concerns about the use of some insecticides, and the yellow fever vaccine made the mosquito’s elimination less critical.

The species roared back. It played a key role in the reemergence of dengue fever in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the recent spread of chikungunya and Zika virus.

Going for blood

Female mosquitoes drink human blood for nutrients used in making eggs. After a female bites an infected person, it can spread the virus through its saliva to its next human victim. Some scientists think Zika may have arrived in Brazil in 2014, carried by visitors attending World Cup soccer games. Perhaps one or more infected visitors were bitten by mosquitoes and started the chain reaction, said Jeffrey Powell, a Yale University mosquito expert who works in Brazil.