Pregnant women warned about Latin American trips

“We now have an accumulating number of cases in babies from miscarriage or who were born with microcephaly with evidence of Zika”, said Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the Vector-Born Disease division of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the CDC. She was likely infected from a mosquito bite early in her pregnancy and the virus then damaged the developing brain of the fetus.

Experts think that only about 1 in 5 people who are infected with the Zika virus develop any symptoms.

“We are saddened by the events that have affected this mother and her newborn”, Hawaii’s state epidemiologist, Dr. Sarah Park, said in a statement. Check the CDC travel website frequently for the most up-to-date recommendations. When traveling to countries where Zika virus (see map) or other viruses spread by mosquitoes have been reported, use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and trousers, and stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens.

Canada last week issued a health advisory urging travelers to guard against mosquito bites when visiting the countries of Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela.

The concern, of course, is whether these cases imported to the United States could result in locally transmitted cases. For women who are trying to get pregnant CDC recommends consulting with a healthcare provider before traveling to these areas. The species of mosquitoes biologically capable of transmitting the virus, however, are present in the United States. Six Hawaii residents are known to have had the virus since 2014, but all picked it up through travel elsewhere. These mosquitoes are found throughout tropical regions of the world and are the same mosquitoes that spread dengue and chikungunya viruses.

Researchers are racing to create a Zika Virus vaccine and improved treatments.

The virus is now spreading rapidly through the Americas, after it was detected in Brazil in May 2015 and subsequently sparked a health crisis. Symptoms usually clear up within a few days. It often produces flu-like symptoms (fever, headaches and joint pain) as well as skin rashes and conjunctivitis. More studies are planned to learn more about the risks of Zika virus infection during pregnancy.

Last year, Brazil reported about 20 times its average level of microcephaly.

Zika, which until recently was limited to narrow belt of equatorial Africa and Asia, made its first appearance in Brazil in May. Brazil has now reported more than 3,500 cases.

The Zika virus had never been known to cause birth defects or other illnesses until past year.

Hawaii is conducting a “Fight the Bite” campaign meant to stop its dengue outbreak. Communities can reduce their risk of Zika by doing their best to eradicate mosquitoes, such as by removing trash that collects standing water, according to a report published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The Zika and dengue viruses – like virtually all mosquito-borne diseases – do not occur in mosquito larvae. Three out of four infected people have no symptoms at all, according to the Pan American Health Organization.