The virus is linked to the birth defect microcephaly, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development and abnormal smallness of the head.
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Brazil said it has confirmed 863 cases of microcephaly, and considers a lot of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
According to WHO, the world was alerted to the first appearance of Zika in the Western Hemisphere on May 7, 2015, when Brazil confirmed that a “mysterious outbreak” of thousands of cases of mild disease with rash was caused by the Zika virus.
As this same mosquito was causing Zika virus infection and the WHO had declared it an worldwide public health emergency, the government took the decision to test those negative samples again for Zika virus.
Meanwhile, many states around the country are reporting positive test results for Zika in residents who have traveled to countries experiencing Zika outbreaks. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,268 suspected cases of microcephaly. The person showed no symptoms when he returned home but developed fever five days later and visited a hospital to treat fever in Gwangyang, Jeonnam last Friday.
“The virus is now circulating in 38 countries and territories”, she told reporters.
Zika was first discovered in Africa, and has spread to parts of Asia and Latin America, including many Caribbean countries.
British health officials reported Zika was found in a man’s semen two months after he was infected, suggesting the virus may linger in semen long after infection symptoms fade. “He was bitten by mosquitoes in the north-eastern region of Brazil”, Jung added.
World Health Organization says there is “an increasing body of evidence” about the link between Zika and microcephaly, but cautions that it remains unproven.
In July a year ago, the country then reported an increase in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), followed by an unusual increase in microcephaly among newborns in late October. Other uncertainties surround the incubation period of the virus and how Zika interacts with other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes, such as dengue.
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New Mexico health department officials say they have been been working closely with the CDC to prepare for more potential Zika cases in the state. The cases of Zika virus infection so far reported are 200, while the figure for pregnant women with infection is 35.
