Florida health officials Tuesday reported seven more cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, including three infections involving pregnant women.
Zika is particularly dangerous to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects including microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads that lead to developmental problems.
The state has had a total of 127 Zika infections involving pregnant women, according to updated information posted Tuesday on the state Department of Health website. In all, Florida has had 1,110 reported cases of Zika, a virus that first emerged last year in South America.
Of the seven new cases Tuesday, five were classified as "travel related," meaning people were infected elsewhere and brought the virus into the state. One of the travel-related cases was in Miami-Dade County, one was in Orange County and the other three involved the pregnant women.
The state does not identify the counties of pregnant women who are infected with the virus. Also, the Department of Health said two Miami-Dade residents were infected locally.
