Massachusetts 5th Highest for Zika Cases in the Nation: CDC

• By Kara Seymour (Patch Staff)

Cases of Zika are on the rise in Massachusets, according to new data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control.

There are now 27 confirmed cases of the virus in Massachusetts - fifth highest in the country. None of those people were infected with the disease locally, the CDC data shows, indicating they contracted the virus while traveling, through sexual contact or as infants infected in utero.

The local cases were not broken down by region or county. Click here to view the full map of cases in the United States that was updated by the CDC Thursday.

The CDC believes the virus is responsible for causing severe defects in unborn children, possibly including microcephaly, which leaves babies with abnormally small heads and often with brains that do not develop properly.

In total there are 756 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in the United States; 234 of those cases are among pregnant women.

Zika is a mosquito-borne illness that is characterized by a fever, rash and joint pain. While the illness typically resolves within a week, some severe cases may require hospitalization. Aside from mosquitoes, Zika can be spread through sexual contact in some cases, the CDC notes.

Meanwhile, authorities are scrambling to prevent the spread of the disease in the United States. Zika is spread by a specific type of mosquito — the Aedes aegypti mosquito. There is currently no vaccine for the virus.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were once thought to be a threat to only the southern areas of the United States. But the CDC maps shows the possibility of that mosquitoes species reaching as far as New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania this year.

Last month, a baby was born with Zika-related birth defects at a New Jersey hospital. The baby's mother was infected with the disease while in Honduras early in her pregnancy.

You can read the Massachusetts state health department's guidelines regarding Zika here.