The Zika virus has struck 86 New York City residents — including 14 pregnant women, according to the latest city Health Department tally.
All the patients recovered, officials said, but it’s unknown whether the babies will suffer severe birth defects such as underdeveloped brains.
“We closely monitor pregnant women through the duration of their pregnancy,” said spokeswoman Carolina Rodriquez. She would not say if any women had given birth.
The city’s count comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that it is monitoring 279 pregnant women with likely Zika virus infections in US states and territories.
So far, every NYC victim contracted the mosquito-borne virus after visiting other Zika-plagued countries, mostly in Central and South America.
The 86 NYC cases are among 152 reported statewide to date. The total includes 50 males and 102 females, 23 of them pregnant.
“The Zika virus is a disease of significant public health concern, with the greatest concern being the risk to the exposed fetus,” a state Health Department spokesperson said Friday.
The state has been notified of four births by women who tested positive for Zika, but none resulted in microcephaly, the brain defect, said spokesman Jeffrey Hammond.