Botched Tests Lead to Retesting for Zika in Nation’s Capital

WASHINGTON — (AP) District of Columbia officials say more than 400 pregnant women who tested negative for the Zika virus are being retested because of a math error during the testing process.

City officials said Thursday that two women had positive results in follow-up tests, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were infected with Zika.

The faulty tests were conducted between July and December at the District’s public health laboratory. So far, the results of 62 follow-up tests have come back. Of those women, two tested positive for Zika in the second round of testing. However, further testing showed those women might have had a different virus, such as yellow fever or dengue, spread by the same kind of mosquito.

Zika can cause severe birth defects, including babies born with abnormally small heads.