CDC warns pregnant women about Zika virus

Health officials said neither the baby nor the mother are infectious, and there was never a risk of transmission in Hawaii.

As of Saturday, 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries and territories: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Martin, Suriname, Venezuela and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It often produces flu-like symptoms (fever, headaches and joint pain) as well as skin rashes and conjunctivitis.

Pregnant women who can’t postpone their travel should talk to their doctor first and take precautions to avoid mosquito bites, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Brazil also has reported dozens of cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare immune system disorder that can cause temporary paralysis, that appear related to Zika virus.

A baby in Hawaii was born with microcephaly, a congenital condition associated with an underdeveloped head and brain.

Here’s a rundown of important information about the Zika virus and how it is spread.

Brazil registered 1.6 million cases of dengue fever in 2015, a new record, up from the last record of 1.4 million cases in 2013, the country’s Health Ministry announced on Friday.

But when Brazilian health officials started to realize they were seeing a surge in microcephaly cases, investigations began to point to Zika infection in pregnancy as a possible cause.

2013 G. Anez and M. Rios/BioMed Research International A map showing the areas in the U.S.at risk of dengue outbreaks, based on the approximate distribution of virus-carrying mosquitos.

Another CDC official, Dr. Lyle Petersen, said the virus seems to remain in the blood only about a week or two.

At the same time, Brazil noticed a startling increase in the numbers of microcephaly cases.

The Hawaii health department said it sent a medical advisory about the infection to doctors across the state but emphasised that neither the mother nor baby were infectious.

Zika virus, originally identified in 1947 from Zika forest of Uganda, is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.

Most have been concentrated in Brazil’s poor northeast, though cases in Rio de Janeiro and other big cities have also been on the rise, prompting people to stock up on mosquito repellent. And they look like the symptoms of many other viral infections, including dengue, which is far more unsafe and deadly.

There have been no cases of anyone being infected with the Zika virus while in Hawaii; although, six people have become infected in other countries and then traveled to the state since 2014. Severe complications from the virus that require hospitalization are rare and most people are over the worst of the symptoms after a week, according to the CDC. However, the CDC recently reported finding evidence for transmission Puerto Rico. CDC scientists found Zika virus in the placentas of the fetuses, and in the brains of the two full-term babies, Petersen said.

Women trying to become pregnant who are thinking about becoming pregnant should consult with their healthcare provider before traveling to these areas and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during the trip.