WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Williams confirmed that one of the women was pregnant.
"The Department of Health can confirm three Zika cases in Washington, DC — one in 2015 and two in 2016," Williams said in a follow-up email. "These are all individuals who traveled outside of the United States."
The Department of Health "is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control [CDC] "to monitor and track the Zika virus," a formal statement by the department that was part of the email stated.
The Zika virus symptoms are usually mild, but the disease has been linked to an epidemic of birth defects in Brazil. Babies typically suffer from microcephaly, an abnormally smallness of the head linked to incomplete brain development.
On Tuesday, the CDC said on its website that transmission through blood transfusions and sexual intercourse had also been reported.