Pregnant Woman Diagnosed With Zika Virus; 3 Confirmed NYC Cases

A pregnant woman was diagnosed with Zika virus after visiting a country stricken with the mosquito-borne illness that may cause birth defects, New York City health officials say. 

New York City Commissioner of Health Mary Bassett said that the woman was diagnosed with the virus recently, bringing the city's total of residents diagnosed with the disease to three. 

Four other people in New York have been diagnosed with the virus -- including one each in Monroe, Nassau, Suffolk and Orange Counties. 

Officials wouldn't say where the people had recently traveled, describing the locations as areas where the "virus transmission is ongoing." Bassett said that because of that, she reminded New Yorkers to be careful when picking winter vacation destinations. 

"This might be a good winter to think about a vacation in the Catskills," she said. 

One additional case has contracted the case after traveling to Colombia, health officials there say. No cases have been reported in Connecticut.

Health officials say there is virtually no risk of catching the virus in New York City because mosquitoes are not active in the winter but wanted to discuss measures New Yorkers can take when traveling to countries where the disease is prevalent.

The species of mosquito that transmits the virus is also not seen in the northeast, though it is prevalent in the southern United States.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its warning for pregnant women thinking of visiting 22 countries, most in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Countries where Zika transmission is ongoing include Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cape Verde, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Samoa, Suriname, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela, 

The virus has been linked with microcephaly which can leave affected newborns with unusually small heads and abnormal brain development. The condition can usually be observed via an ultrasound in the first trimester of pregnancy. 

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