CDC expands tropical virus alert; 22 destinations on list

“We’re recommending that women who may get pregnant plan their pregnancies and try to avoid getting pregnant this year and the next”, Eduardo Espinoza told CNNEspanol Thursday.

Last week’s alert included Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname and Venezuela.

Official figures show 96 pregnant women are suspected of having contracted the virus, but so far none have had babies born with microcephaly.

An army soldier checks for mosquito larvae to try to limit transmission of the Zika virus in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Pregnant women traveling to impacted areas should take precautions to limit their exposure to mosquitoes, the agency said.

Brazil is experiencing the largest known outbreak of Zika, with most cases in the north-east.

A health worker fumigates the Altos del Cerro neighbourhood as part of preventive measures against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases in Soyapango, El Salvador, Jan. 21, 2016. However, the course and symptomatology of the Zika virus are similar to that of dengue fever, which is treated in much the same manner but carries the risk for NSAID-related hemorrhaging.

Babies suffering from the condition have smaller than normal heads, preventing their brains from developing properly. The birth defects can cause developmental delays and lifelong intellectual disability. In the US, residents of Florida, Illinois, Texas and Hawaii have tested positive for the virus, and a baby in Hawaii was born with microcephaly. In five of these cases an infection with Zika virus was found.

Recently scientists detected genetic material of Zika virus in the placenta of a woman.

Following a rise in cases since the virus was first detected past year, the Brazilian ministry linked it to fetal deformations and warned pregnant women to use insect repellent to avoid mosquito bites.

The authorities there are advising women to try to avoid pregnancy for the the next two years to avoid passing on complications to babies.

Symptoms of Zika virus infection include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, muscle pain and headache.