Cuba reports a surge of Zika but still fewer than neighbors

Cuban state media report a surge of Zika on the island, though the overall number of cases is still far fewer than elsewhere in the Caribbean.

State media say there have been nearly 1,850 cases of the mosquito-borne illness for all of 2016 and the first months of 2017. A senior civil defense official says the provinces with the most cases include Havana, Guantanamo and Cienfuegos.

Zika causes relatively mild symptoms in most adults but can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus and cause birth defects. There is no vaccine and prevention efforts have focused on control of the mosquito species that spreads Zika.

A nationwide spraying campaign against had seemed to be working with only three cases reported last year. Puerto Rico has reported about 40,000.