Nearly 100 Zika Cases In New Jersey, Tripling Since Summer Began

New Jersey now has had nearly 100 cases of the Zika virus, tripling the number the state had from the beginning of the summer, officials say.

There are now 97 confirmed cases of the virus in New Jersey, tripling since mid-June, when there were 27, according to the state Department of Health data.

The New Jersey data differs from what was reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says 66 cases from New Jersey have been reported.

CDC spokesman Benjamin Haynes said he's not sure where the discrepancy is, explaining that the CDC number is based on what is laboratory-confirmed and reported to ArboNET.

"It’s possible they didn’t report by the time we pulled for this week’s update," he told Patch. "In any case, I would go with the state number."

State officials have said they wouldn't be surprised if there was sharp increase in Zika cases over the summer, noting that the season is a heavy travel period involving countries that have had outbreaks.

Indeed, all of the New Jersey cases are travel-related.

New Jersey's Zika cases include a baby recently born to a 31-year-old woman from Honduras at Hackensack University Medical Center.

The child was the third infant delivered in the United States with microcephaly linked to the Zika virus.

Most of the cases also involved North Jersey counties, though 17 of the state's 21 counties have had at least one case.

Here is the county-by-county breakdown:

1. Bergen 21
2. Passaic 18
3. Hudson 11
4. Essex 8
5. Middlesex 7
6. Union 6
7. Burlington 5
8. Camden 4
9. Morris 4
10. Mercer 3
11. Somerset 2
12. Monmouth 2
13. Hunterdon 2
14. Cumberland 1
15. Warren 1
16. Ocean 1
17. Gloucester 1