Pentagon officials told reporters today that at least 33 active-duty American service members, one of whom is a pregnant woman, have Zika.
They are said to have contracted the virus in countries where the disease has been identified. Since January, the Defense Department has been keeping track of each Zika virus case in men and women serving abroad. The total number of cases hit 33 in August.
From the New York Times:
Pentagon officials did not name the countries where the service members contracted the disease, but noted that they were all in nations that have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as places where Zika-carrying mosquitoes reside.
The Pentagon has informed its personnel in affected areas to take precautions, Major Sakrisson said, and pregnant women in those regions are being given the option of relocating.
Photo: Daniele Santos, 29, holds her son Juan Pedro who is 2-months-old and born with microcephaly, after bathing him at their house in Recife, Brazil, February 9, 2016. The Zika virus may be particularly adept at entrenching itself in parts of the body that are shielded from the immune system, making it harder to fight off and possibly lengthening the timeframe in which it can be transmitted, say leading U.S. experts. Picture taken February 9, 2016. [REUTERS]