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CDC Collecting More Data On Pregnant Women With Zika Virus

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The number of pregnant women infected with the Zika virus is on the rise in the United States. The health crisis has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to begin reporting the outcomes of the births.

The CDC began tracking pregnant women infected with Zika at the beginning of the year, WJZ's Tracey Leong reports. Officials plan to report the adverse outcomes to further understand the virus.

Half a dozen abnormal pregnancies in the United States are now linked to the Zika virus. In these cases, three of the babies were born with birth defects and three died before birth with evidence of birth defects.

Zika is linked to microcephaly, a condition where babies are born with deformed heads and severe neurological damage.

There are currently 234 pregnant women infected with Zika in the United States.

So far, all reported cases of Zika are travel-related. Doctors recommend pregnant women not to visit countries with outbreaks.

"I think we also need to talk not only just women, but also men. There's a real risk for men to transmit the infection as well," said Dr. Robert Atlas, Mercy Medical Center Department of Obstetrics.

Dr. Atlas tells WJZ more research needs to be done to better understand the virus.

"The reality is we don't know exactly how bad this is going to be or if it's going to be anything," said Dr. Atlas.

In response to the growing health concerns, the CDC is now working to collect more data on the outcomes of pregnant women infected with the mosquito-borne virus.

"I think this decision by the CDC is a good one, so that we can identify and keep track of the events that are occurring," said Atlas.

The best form of protection against Zika is to avoid mosquito bites. Pregnant women are encouraged to use mosquito repellent and cover up exposed skin.

Countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands currently have Zika outbreaks.

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