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.
Costa Rican health officials this week reported the two latest confirmed cases of Zika virus, contracted by a man and woman who recently traveled to Nicaragua. They bring the total number of confirmed cases in Costa Rica to 12.
U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday asked Congress to set aside $1.9 billion to respond to the Zika virus abroad and to prepare for it in the United States, saying the funds are necessary to halt the spread of the disease and "protect the health and safety of Americans."
Costa Rica Health Ministry officials on Monday confirmed that two women from the community of Sámara, in Guanacaste province, are the first confirmed cases of locally acquired Zika virus.
