Twelve travel-related cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus have now been confirmed in Arkansas patients, according to the state Department of Health.
As of Aug. 9, nine cases had been reported in the state. Since then, department spokesman Meg Mirivel said, three Arkansans have tested positive: one last week and two this week.
The two most recent confirmed cases were found in patients who contracted the Zika virus in Central America, she said. The Arkansas resident who tested positive last week had recently visited the Caribbean.
[INTERACTIVE: All about the mosquito-borne Zika virus.]
[RELATED STORY: Vacationers steering away from Zika zones]
Apart from general descriptions of where each of the 12 in-state patients had traveled, case specifics have not been released.
"Once we see a certain number of pregnant women in the state [who have contracted the virus], then we’ll start releasing that [information]," Mirivel said Wednesday.
Pregnant women who contract the virus, which is spread through mosquito bites and sexual transmission, are most at risk for complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That federal agency in late July announced a $1.3 million award to help Arkansas in the state's fight against the Zika virus. Mirivel at that time said the Health Department was developing a plan for how to use the money locally.