NEW YORK (AP) – Zika infections have been confirmed in nine pregnant women in the United States, including one who gave birth to a baby with a rare birth defect, health officials said Friday.
All got the virus while visiting or living in places with Zika outbreaks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is also investigating 10 more reports of pregnant travelers with Zika.
The U.S. cases add to reports out of Brazil. Officials there are exploring a possible link to babies born with unusually small heads, a rare birth defect called microcephaly that can signal underlying brain damage.
Zika has become epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean since last fall. The virus – mainly spread by through mosquito bites – causes mild illness or no symptoms in most people.