Currently 157 pregnant women in the continental U.S. may have Zika, and 122 may have it in U.S. territories.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the figures Friday, saying that it is enhancing its surveillance systems for monitoring pregnant women that may have the virus. The CDC has confirmed a link between Zika, which is spread via mosquito bites, and the birth defect microcephaly.
“These new numbers reflect a broader group of women — pregnant women who have any laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection, and whether or not they recalled symptoms — compared with numbers previously reported,” the CDC said Friday.
Currently only one in five people show symptoms of Zika, which include a fever and a rash. CDC officials believe the most vulnerable period to get Zika is the first trimester of pregnancy.
The findings come a few days after the House and Senate passed competing funding bills for fighting the virus. The Senate passed $1.1 billion in new funding, while the House passed a smaller amount of $622 million in funding offset from other programs.
The administration asked for $1.9 billion back in February.
Currently the Zika virus isn’t spreading via mosquitoes in the continental U.S., and a majority of the 544 cases in the U.S. are from people who traveled to an area where the virus is spreading.
However, CDC officials are saying that “limited” outbreaks could occur in the U.S. as summer approaches.
