More than 2 dozen babies born in NYC with Zika-like birth defects

NEW YORK (WABC) -- More than two dozen babies have been born in New York City with Zika-like birth defects or tested positive with the virus, health officials said Thursday.

The count stands at 32 babies with such symptoms, and 16 having neurological disorders as a result of the virus.

These statistics put NYC on the map for having a significant number of cases. Half of all infants in the U.S. born with defects related to the Zika virus were born to women in NYC.

All of the infections were from mothers who traveled to areas where Zika is epidemic, and 11 of the cases were transmitted sexually by a partner who traveled to those areas.

As of this week, 1,067 New Yorkers tested positive for Zika virus disease, including 402 pregnant women, and all of the cases were associated with travel.

Health officials are urging any pregnant women or those planning to get pregnant, to avoid travel to Zika-active countries -- many of which are in the Caribbean or South America.