Third Zika case in Kentucky confirmed in pregnant woman

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky Department of Health says it has confirmed the state’s third case of the Zika virus in a pregnant woman.

A statement from the agency on Friday said the woman, who is from the Louisville area, tested positive for the disease after traveling to Central America in recent months. She has recovered from the illness.

The mosquito-borne virus, which is spreading in Latin America and the Caribbean, normally causes only mild symptoms.

Health officials are investigating whether there is a link between Zika infections in pregnant women and a rare birth defect called microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads.

According to the CDC, the virus also has been reported in at least 36 other states.