Thirty-three American service members, including one pregnant woman, have been diagnosed with the Zika virus while on active duty overseas, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. The Department of Defense said it is continuing to monitor USA bases that could be at risk to the virus that is spread by mosquitos.
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All of the cases occurred in men and women serving overseas in areas where the disease already has been identified by the Centers for Disease Control, The New York Times and CNN reported Wednesday, citing Pentagon spokesman Maj.
DoD did not provide details on the status of the expectant mother or her unborn baby. Fifteen cases are thought to have been sexually transmitted and one was the result of a laboratory exposure.
USA military installation managers began aggressively monitoring for the species of mosquitoes that can carry Zika and other diseases in March. Nearly 200 installations could be at risk to the virus. He could not say how many are still ill or how many have returned to the United States.
Doctors at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research have been working to develop a Zika vaccine.
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Military.com reported that six family members of those servicemen and women also have contracted the virus, which usually leads to mild symptoms, but can cause severe birth defects in children and has been linked to paralysis. After conducting tests on mice and monkeys, they expect to begin tests on humans later this year.
