Two pregnant Americans infected with the Zika virus after traveling outside the country have miscarried, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Thursday.
The virus, which is believed to cause a serious fetal defect known as microcephaly, was found in the placentas of both women, the CDC said. The miscarriages are the first in the U.S. found to be linked to Zika, which is spreading rapidly in South and Central America and is centrally found in Brazil.
Of the more than four dozen Zika cases confirmed in 14 states and the District of Columbia, most have been found in people who had contracted the virus while traveling internationally, although in at least one case the virus was spread through sexual contact. Six of the U.S. cases have been confirmed in pregnant women, whose fetuses are at highest risk of harm from the virus.
The miscarriages were first reported by STAT News, which quoted CDC chief pathologist Sherif Zaki as saying the agency was aware of three cases of pregnant, U.S. women miscarrying while infected with the virus. But the CDC said Thursday it is aware of only two such cases.
