Health

U.S. Has 234 Pregnant Women With Zika; 3 Babies Born With Birth Defects, C.D.C. Says

ST. CROIX -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that women infected with the Zika virus during their pregnancy has risen to 234. C.D.C. officials did not reveal how many of those affected had given birth, citing confidentiality reasons, but it did say that 3 babies had been born with birth defects caused by Zika, and another 3 babies had died before birth with evidence of birth defects. C.D.C. said some of the defects were related to microcephaly, a condition linked to Zika that causes brain damage and abnormally small heads. Others, like eye problems, were Zika-related, but not caused by microcephaly. But without knowing the total number of births, officials cannot know if the babies with birth defects represent a tiny fraction of the total, or a large part. The C.D.C. also reported on Thursday that the total number of pregnant women who had been infected with Zika in U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, was 189. But the agency did ...