These are in addition to the list on the CDC’s January 15 advisory: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
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Pregnant women are being warned not to travel to the Olympics in Brazil after a virus causing thousands of babies to be born with unusually small heads swept through the region.
While the link between Zika and microcephaly has not been confirmed, the Zika virus was found in five of the 49 babies who have died of microcephaly in Brazil so far, according to the country’s health ministry.
“Microcephaly is when the head is much smaller than it’s supposed to be, which means the brain itself is much smaller”, a local doctor explained.
Moreover, he added, “women traveling to areas where Zika virus has been reported should take all precautions to avoid mosquito bites, including covering exposed skin, staying in indoor- or screened-in areas, and using EPA-approved bug spray with DEET (which is safe for use during pregnancy)”, DeFrancesco said. The Zika virus is spread through mosquito bites from Aedes aegypti and causes only a mild illness in most people.
Most people who become infected with the virus will not develop any symptoms.
The Zika virus has now spread to 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, NBC News reported.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of cases of Zika in several other Latin American countries.
“There is virtually no risk of acquiring Zika virus in New York State at this time as the virus can not be spread by casual contact with an infected person and mosquitoes are not active in cold winter months”, said DOH Commissioner Howard Zucker, according to a news release.
The authorities in the U.S. are warning pregnant women about the risk of traveling to the region.
In Colombia, which has the second-highest Zika infection rate after Brazil, the government is also advising women to delay becoming pregnant, but only for six to eight months.
The World Health Organization (WHO) this week noted a surge in cases of microcephaly in Brazil, the country most affected by the current epidemic.
Zika virus is common in parts of Africa and South East Asia, but since 2007 there have been various outbreaks outside of the disease’s comfort zone.
Dr Frieden said: ‘There’s a lot we don’t know’.
“Until we understand the science better, postponing planned pregnancies is a sensible option”, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Laura Rodrigues told the Independent.
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The only way to prevent any of this is to not get bitten by infected mosquitos.
