HOUSTON, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Six pregnant women in Harris county of Texas have tested positive for Zika, the first cases of the mosquito-borne disease to be reported locally this year, said a local health clinic on Thursday.
The spokesman of Legacy Community Health said that all of the women have since delivered their babies, but it is not yet known if any of the children were born with the birth defects that can be caused by the virus.
The women were initially tested at the Legacy Community Health, a southeast Texas network of clinics.
Legacy announced that the Centers for Disease Control has confirmed the positive tests in the women, all of whom contracted the virus while traveling south of the border.
Ann Barnes, Legacy's chief medical officer said in the statement:" the threat of Zika is lower this year than last in our hemisphere, but as our six latest cases show, pregnant women in Texas should remain vigilant," adding that prevention must still be the key message coming from public health officials and health care providers.
