WHO says 3 Zika cases detected in western India last year

NEW DELHI (AP) — The World Health Organization says India has reported three cases of the Zika virus that occurred last year in western Gujarat state, including two pregnant women who delivered healthy babies.

All three cases that India reported to the WHO on May 15 were detected through routine blood surveillance in Ahmadabad, Gujarat's capital.

Although Zika was first identified in 1947, the virus wasn't considered a major health threat until a major outbreak in Brazil in 2015 revealed that Zika can lead to severe birth defects when pregnant women are infected.

Health Ministry officials said Sunday that the three patients who tested positive last year had recovered.

Last year, WHO declared the spread of Zika a global public health emergency.