6 pregnant women test positive for Zika virus in Harris County according to : Click2Houston

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Six women have tested positive for the Zika virus in Harris County this year, according to a report from Legacy Community Health. Legacy Community Health said the six women who tested positive for the virus were traveling outside of the country. Legacy Community Health said the patients were screened for the virus months ago and that they were pregnant at the time. Even though the threat of Zika is lower in our neck of the woods, there are still concerns -- and pregnant women need to protect themselves. Legacy Community Health said the women who tested positive for Zika have delivered their babies, but it's unknown if the babies were born with birth defects.




SAN ANTONIO – Local health experts have a warning after six pregnant women in the Houston area tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus. The CDC advises pregnant women should not travel to areas where the virus is present. "We set about 120 traps all around the city."In collaboration with the city, her team goes out to capture mosquitoes and find out how many could carry the Zika virus. In one of the Texas A&M University-San Antonio labs, Megan Wise de Valdez, a professor is studying mosquitoes. "The local mosquito population state does not have the Zika virus introduced into them and we would like to keep it that way," says Dr. Anita Kurian, with Metropolitan Health.

Six pregnant women test positive for Zika in Harris County this year

An exact breakdown was not available, but Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador were the countries to which the Harris County women traveled while pregnant. Photo: Getty ImagesSix pregnant women in Harris County have tested positive for Zika, the first cases of the mosquito-borne disease to be reported locally in 2017. "Patient education in Harris County must continue through this year's mosquito season," Barnes said in a statement put out by Legacy. The only reported cases in Harris County have involved people acquiring the virus while traveling to regions that had outbreaks. The six Harris County cases were confirmed in late May by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and announced Thursday by Legacy.


collected by :Lucy William
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