Health officials confirmed Florida’s first baby born with a Zika-related birth defect on Tuesday as the number of people infected with the virus this year climbed to 227 cases statewide. 
 
 The baby is at least the fifth child born in the United States with microcephaly, which causes abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development, as a result of the Zika virus. The mother, a citizen of Haiti, acquired the disease outside of the United States and traveled to Florida to deliver her baby, the health department said. 
 
 There have been no locally transmitted cases in the United States, though at least four other infants have been born with birth defects to mothers who acquired Zika while traveling outside the country, including cases in Hawaii and New Jersey. 
 
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 Florida is home to at least 40 pregnant women who have contracted the virus this year while traveling outside the country, according to the health department. Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, 265 pregnant women were confirmed to have had Zika as of June 16. 
 
 Following Tuesday’s announcement, Florida Gov. Rick Scott called on the CDC to host a discussion with medical professionals statewide on precautions for new and expecting mothers. 
 
 “Now that a baby has been born in our state with adverse impacts from Zika, it is clear that every available resource is needed to prevent local transmissions in our state,” he said in a written statement. 
 
 With the U.S. Senate voting down a $1.1 billion Zika funding bill on Tuesday, Scott’s repeated calls for immediate federal help went unanswered once again. President Barack Obama had asked Congress in February for an emergency appropriation of $1.9 billion to combat the spread of the virus but Congress has not funded his request. 
 
 Last week, citing inaction by the federal government, the governor issued an executive order to spend up to $26.2 million in state funds to combat Zika, which continues to spread. 
 
 State health officials confirmed four new Zika infections on Tuesday, including two each in Miami-Dade and Osceola counties. Miami-Dade has the most confirmed cases in the state this year with at least 65; Broward is second with 32. 
 
 Pregnant women and their children remain at greatest risk from the disease. Babies with microcephaly often have a series of developmental problems, including intellectual disability, hearing loss and vision problems and difficulty with movement and balance. 
 
 This year, researchers reported a potential causal link between microcephaly and the Zika virus, which is primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito but also can be transmitted by blood transfusions and by men to the sexual partners. 
 
 SHARE COPY LINK Zika outbreaks are currently happening in many countries and territories. The mosquitoes that can become infected with and spread Zika live in many parts of the world, including parts of the United States. Learn how you can protect yourself from Z McClatchyCourtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
 
 In the case announced Tuesday, health department officials said they are working to connect the mother and her child with the department’s Early Steps program, which establishes support for families with infants and toddlers who have developmental delays, or a condition that could result in a developmental delay. ||||| Zika-virus-related microcephaly has been reported for the first time in Florida. 
 
 A woman from Haiti gave birth to a child with microcephaly in the state, the Florida Department of Health said today. 
 
 Officials noted that the mother contracted the disease when she was out of the U.S. Her name and location were not disclosed. 
 
 There have been two other cases of women in the U.S. giving birth to children with Zika-related microcephaly. In both those cases, the women contracted the disease while outside the country, according to health officials. 
 
 While Zika infection often causes mild symptoms, the virus has been found to cause serious birth defects, including microcephaly, which is characterized by an abnormally small head. In Florida, 223 people, including 40 pregnant women, have been thought or confirmed to be infected with the Zika virus. There have been no known cases of infection by mosquitoes while in the U.S., according to health officials. 
 
 Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in the 24 counties where people have been diagnosed with Zika virus infection. ||||| TALLAHASSEE – A woman infected with the Zika virus has given birth to a baby with microcephaly, a condition causing abnormally small heads and developmental defects, for the first time in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott’s office announced Tuesday. 
 
 Scott was in West Palm Beach to call for the Centers for Disease Control to help states cope with the spread of the disease. 
 
 “It is heartbreaking to learn that a baby has been born with Zika-related microcephaly in our state and my thoughts and prayers are with the mother and child. Following this news, I have requested the CDC to immediately host a call with Florida health care professionals to discuss the neurological impacts of Zika and how this virus impacts new and expecting moms,” Scott stated. 
 
 The woman contracted Zika, a virus that causes fever, rash and joint pain for about seven to 10 days, while in Haiti. The mosquito-borne virus can also be transmitted through sexual contact. Florida does not release the names or locations of pregnant women who are infected with Zika. 
 
 Scott’s announcement comes has he continues to push for more federal funding and coordination to combat Zika’s spread. He signed an executive order last week freeing up $26.2 million in state funding to pay for mosquito control training and equipment, Zika preparedness kits and increased lab capacity. 
 
 Florida has had more than 200 Zika cases since the beginning of the year – the most of any other state - and 16 are still showing symptoms. The Sunshine State also has many tourists and migrants from Brazil, where the outbreak first occurred, and Puerto Rico, which has seen higher infection rates than Florida.
– A third baby—and the first in Florida—with Zika-related microcephaly has been born in the US, ABC News reports. Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced the birth Tuesday. According to the Miami Herald, the baby was born to a woman from Haiti who contracted Zika while outside the US. She traveled to Florida to give birth. “It is heartbreaking to learn that a baby has been born with Zika-related microcephaly in our state, and my thoughts and prayers are with the mother and child," the Orlando Sentinel quotes Scott as saying. Microcephaly causes babies to have unusually small heads and leads to problems with brain development. Babies with Zika-related microcephaly have also been born in New Jersey and Hawaii. Both of the mothers contracted Zika while outside the US. In fact, there are still no known cases of mosquitoes spreading the virus in the US. With more than 200 reported cases, Florida has more Zika infections than any other state. Forty of those cases involve pregnant women. Scott has declared a public health emergency and made $26.2 million in state money available to fight Zika. (A tweeted photo from the CDC speaks volumes about the problem.)