2,517 US Zika cases found across all but 2 states

Staff -

There are 2,517 reported Zika cases in the U.S. as of Aug. 24, and the mosquito-borne virus is in every state but Alaska and Wyoming, according to the most recent update from the CDC.

Twenty-nine of those cases — all in Florida — were locally acquired. CDC officials say mosquitoes in two areas of Florida are spreading Zika: the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami and also Miami Beach. However, Florida officials have said locally acquired Zika cases have also been reported in Palm Beach County and Pinellas County.

Additionally, 22 cases were sexually acquired, and seven developed Guillain-Barre syndrome. GBS is a condition of the nervous system in which a person's immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and possibly paralysis, according to the CDC.

In the U.S. territories, there have been 8,968 locally acquired Zika cases and 43 travel-associated cases, for a total of 9,011.

Zika virus is a major concern for pregnant women, as it has been linked to birth defects like microcephaly. As of Aug. 18, 584 pregnant women in the U.S. states and Washington D.C., and 812 pregnant women in the U.S. territories have lab evidence of Zika virus infection.

Further, 16 babies in the U.S. have been born with Zika-related birth defects, and there have been five pregnancy losses with birth defects linked to Zika.

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