Zika outbreak: New York City reports 49 pregnancy cases,1 microcephaly baby

Of the 49 pregnant women who've tested postive for Zika in New York City, one baby has been born with microcephaly, health officials say.

Since the city announced its Zika plan in April, more than 3,400 at-risk pregnant women have been tested.

"Though the mosquito carrying Zika has not been identified here, nearly a quarter of all positive cases in the continental United States are in New York," the city's mayor, Bill de Blasio, said in a statement on Tuesday. 

Most people who tested positive in the city travelled to Zika-affected areas. 

A minority of cases, four, were associated with sexual transmission.

The current Zika outbreak was detected last year in Brazil, where it has been linked to more than 1,700 cases of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems.

The city has committed $21 million US to protect citizens from the virus. Local and state politicians called on Congress to approve $1.9 billion in emergency funding to fight the outbreak. 

Travel case reported within continental U.S.

A total of 483 people in the city have tested positive for Zika, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Monday, health officials said a Texas resident who recently traveled to an area of Miami where local Zika transmission by mosquitoes occurred has tested positive for the virus.
 
Health officials linked the case to Miami travel after investigating factors such as travel dates and when symptoms appeared. 
 
The El Paso County resident sought testing after becoming ill. Health officials say it's that county's first such case in a traveller within the continental U.S.

About four out of five of those infected with Zika do not show symptoms and the rest have mild cases.

For people in Canada, the risk is considered low since the mosquito species that normally transmits Zika virus cannot survive.

Canadian health officials advise travellers to protect themselves from mosquito bites at all times. Safe sex is recommended for couples who live in or have traveled to an area with Zika.