D.C. Zika tests were flawed

(HealthDay)—Two women in Washington, D.C., were incorrectly found to be negative for Zika virus last year due to flawed testing, health officials said Thursday.

The women have given birth, but the outcomes of their pregnancies are unknown. Their doctors have been contacted, NBC News reported. D.C. health officials said all 409 specimens that tested negative between July and December will be retested by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention labs. Of the 62 specimens retested so far, two came back positive for Zika.

Of the 409 specimens, 294 were from pregnant women and 115 were from non-pregnant women or men. Retesting all of the specimens could take up to four weeks, according to NBC News.

One of the problems with the test, which was suspended Dec. 14, was a mathematical error. The district's Public Health Laboratory is working with the CDC to correct the test and start using it again, NBC News reported.