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Up to 270 microcephaly cases expected in Puerto Rico due to Zika: officials

By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. health experts estimate that as many as 270 babies in Puerto Rico may be born with the severe birth defect known as microcephaly caused by Zika infections in their mothers during pregnancy. The estimate is the first to project the potential impact of Zika on Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory located in the Caribbean that has borne the brunt of the outbreak in the United States. Puerto Rico had 10,690 laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika, including 1,035 pregnant women, as of Aug. 12.

Exclusive: Top U.S. airlines offer to re-assign crew from Zika-hit routes

Top U.S. airlines United and Delta have offered to re-assign certain flight crew concerned about contracting the Zika virus from routes to Latin America and the Caribbean, the companies told Reuters on Wednesday. In an internal memo on Jan. 28, seen by Reuters, United said expectant flight attendants as well as those seeking to become pregnant could switch routes to avoid Zika-affected regions without repercussions. The airline has similar options available for pilots, said Charles Hobart, spokesman for parent United Continental Holdings Inc. Delta Air Lines Inc has also let flight attendants and pilots switch assignments since Jan. 17, and “a small number of crew members have swapped trips to date,” spokesman Morgan Durrant told Reuters.