He said the Government was now uncertain about a previous projection for up to 500 cases of Zika-linked microcephaly, based on data from other countries battling the disease.
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Scientists are racing to try to create a vaccine for Zika, but it could be years until that is available to the public.
Since the Zika virus started its sweep across Latin America late previous year there have been around 4,000 cases of microcephaly, with 3,400 of those cases recorded in Brazil. All the cases have been travel related.
Health Ministry employees fumigate against the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the vector of the dengue, Zika and Chikungunya viruses, at a neighborhood in Guatemala City, Guatemala, February 5, 2016. “The bottom line…is that pregnant women should postpone travel to Zika affected areas”, he added.
The country’s Caribbean region, which includes popular tourist destinations Cartagena and Santa Marta, had more than 11,000 cases of the virus, the bulletin showed.
Brazil, the country hardest hit by Zika, is grappling with the virus even as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.
The “bottom line” for the CDC is to urge women who are pregnant or want to become pregnant to avoid traveling to areas where Zika virus is circulating, he said.
However, scientific evidence linking Guillain-Barre syndrome with the Zika virus has not been proven, despite the suspicions of scientists. The CDC published both documents as early reports on its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) portal.
Just two days after United States medical authorities reported the first sexually transmitted case of the Zika virus, new reports have emerged suggesting there is a possibility it could be carried from an infected person to a new human host via saliva and urine.
“There is not a single case of a baby with microcephaly coming from a woman who has Zika”, Santos told viewers.
Zika often goes unnoticed, and causes a relatively mild fever and rash in those who do develop symptoms.
Those who live in these countries and territories should protect themselves by “rigorously using mosquito protection” such as wearing repellent, long sleeves and trousers, using air conditioning and screens, Frieden said. The World Health Organisation announced yesterday that it will seek $25?million (pounds 17.3?million) for a six-month programme to fight the virus, including money for studies on whether it is spread by sex or blood transfusions.
We can’t say that we are safe because there are certain factors at play that can lead to the transportation or importation of mosquitoes.
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“Virus-sharing was not mentioned as an issue of concern”, he said.
