During the first 22 weeks of this year there were 175 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne virus in the country. Of these, 27 are women who contracted the virus during pregnancy.
The latest report from the Health Ministry released last week states that there are 107 confirmed cases of Zika virus, 67 of them in the Central Pacific canton of Garabito.
Researchers said Thursday they have found a way to fashion a cheap mosquito trap out of old tires that can collect thousands of eggs that may carry the Zika virus.
The study was done in the United States, where dengue does not circulate in the population. This helped researchers identify the vaccine's effectiveness in people who had not been previously exposed to any strain of dengue.
The increase in cases of mosquito-borne diseases around the country prompted officials of the Public Health Ministry and the National Emergency Commission on Thursday evening to declare a state of emergency for 31 cantons at all seven provinces.
While the mosquito-borne Zika virus captures headlines, dengue and chikungunya cases in Costa Rica have both quietly jumped more than 600 percent in 2016 compared to the same period last year.
Officials from several government agencies on Monday said the current situation of Zika virus in Costa Rica does not pose a risk for tourists and that there is not any travel or trade restriction related to the mosquito-borne disease.
