Up to 667 cases of Zika in Mexico: SSA

The cases of Zika are increasing in Mexico, particularly among mothers to be, according to the national health authorities.

Out of a total of 667 cases of Zika in the country, 287 are pregnant women, according to the latest report from the General Health Directorate of the Interior Ministry (SSA).

The cases among mothers to be are increasing as the rain season causes an increase in the population of the Aedes Agepty mosquitoes, the main vector for the disease.

The state of Chiapas is facing the biggest number of cases, with 242, followed by Oaxaca, with 196, and Guerrero, with 137. Tabasco is next, with 26, and Veracruz, with 16.

Also, Michoacán has nine cases, Campeche has eight, Colima, Jalisco and Nuevo León five, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, three, and Nayarit and Sinaloa have one each.

In regard to mothers to be, Chiapas, the state where the first cases of Zika were accounted in Mexico by the end of 2015, has up to 147 cases, followed by Oaxaca with 69, Guerrero with 52, Veracruz with five, Tabasco with four, Michoacán and Campeche with three, Colima with two, and Jalisco and Yucatán with one each.

Pregnancies are put in risk of congenital problems like microcephaly, something which has been heavily reported in countries like Brazil.