However, with the onset of spring and summer, the risk of Zika virus transmission in Europe will grow, as mosquitoes find better breeding grounds in warmer climates.
Advertisement
In Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that Zika is spreading “explosively” and could affect as many as four million people in the Americas. Pregnant women are being urged not to travel to those countries and women who live in those areas are being told not to get pregnant. The mother may show only mild or even no symptoms, but the Zika virus can enter her bloodstream and cross the placenta to infect her unborn baby.
Photo of mosquito, which can carry the Zika virus.
A health ministry worker fumigates a house to kill mosquitoes during a campaign against dengue and chikungunya and to prevent the entry of Zika virus in Managua, Nicaragua January 26, 2016.
It has been present in Africa and Asia, and caused alarm after appearing previous year in Brazil for the first time, where it is suspected of causing birth defects, specifically microcephaly; a condition where infants are born with an abnormally small scull and brain.
“Because Zika virus is primarily transmitted by infected mosquitoes, there is very limited chance of local transmission in New York during the winter”, said NY Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, according to ABC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are now at least 32 cases across a dozen states and Washington D.C.
In Colombia, there are 20,297 confirmed cases of the disease, said the national health institute in a epidemiology bulletin – among them 2,116 pregnant women.
This has been confirmed by the Ministry of Health and also the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Public Health Division.
The outbreak began in Brazil previous year and has now spread to 24 countries in the Americas.
Advertisement
The Vietnamese health authority has warned people coming from countries with the Zika virus to monitor their health for 14 days and if they develop fever to report to medical facilities.
