New Zika virus infections confirmed in Miami-Dade

Florida health officials, contending with the greatest number of Zika virus infections in the nation, confirmed two new cases in Miami-Dade on Thursday, raising the statewide total to 87 people affected by the infectious disease since February.

Among the 15 counties identified as having had Zika virus infections, Miami-Dade has experienced the most, with 35 cases. Nearly all of Florida’s cases were acquired by people traveling outside the country, except for one case of sexual transmission in Polk County.

Florida has reported Zika infections in five pregnant women, who are considered to be at greatest risk from the infectious disease because of a strongly suspected link between an outbreak of Zika in Brazil and a concurrent spike in microcephaly, a condition in which a newborn’s head is smaller than expected, which can lead to developmental issues.

This week, U.S. health officials confirmed the worst fears of many pregnant women when they said there is no longer any doubt the Zika virus causes microcephaly.

There have been 358 confirmed cases of Zika in the continental United States as of April 13, including 31 pregnant women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seven of the cases were sexually transmitted, and at least one led to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological disorder.

This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 3:01 PM with the headline "New Zika virus infections confirmed in Miami-Dade."