Over 5,000 Pregnant Women Have Zika Virus –– Govt

More than 5,000 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the country’s national health institute, according to Reuters, said yesterday, even as the disease continues its rapid spread across the Americas.

Cases of the virus total 31,555, the institute said in a epidemiology bulletin, among them 5,013 pregnant women.

Zika, which has spread to more than 30 countries, has been linked to birth defect microcephaly and to neurological disease Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Total reported Zika cases increased by 23 percent over last week’s figures, while the number of pregnant women with the virus was up 57.8 percent.

Much remains unknown about Zika, including whether the virus actually causes microcephaly.