Cuba reports four new cases of imported Zika virus

Cuba's Ministry of Health reported Tuesday the detection of four new cases of imported Zika virus, bringing the total to 21.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, the four all travelled to Guyana for personal affairs. Two of them live in the central province of Villa Clara, another in the central territory of Sancti Spiritus, and the last one in Havana.

After showing symptoms, all of them were admitted to local hospitals where blood samples were collected and sent to the Tropical Medicine Institute.

On June 17, the institute confirmed that the tests had been found to be positive for Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that causes microcephaly, an abnormal smallness of the head associated with incomplete brain development. The patients remain in hospital but are all improving favorably, according to the ministry.

Since Zika began to spread across the region, the Cuban government has taken active measures to prevent and minimize the effects of virus on the island, including mobilizing thousands of soldiers to support massive sanitary campaigns. Endite