Three Britons infected with Zika virus through mosquito bites

Health officials have warned pregnant tourists to avoid travelling to Brazil for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics after an outbreak of the Zika virus which causes babies to be born with unusually small heads and brains.

Officials identified the three individuals in Queens, Nassau and Orange Counties Friday.

The World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization warned in a report on Monday that they had found multiple cases across the globe where people were reported to have the syndrome shortly after contracting the Zika virus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its warning for pregnant women thinking of visiting 22 destinations, most in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Researchers have linked the rise in Microcephaly, a neurological disorder in which infants are born with smaller craniums and brains, to the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease first seen in Africa in 1947.

Officials say one of the patients is fully recovered and the two others are recovering without complications.

Anyone of any age can get Guillain-Barre, although it is very rare.

The Brazilian government has announced plans to fund a biomedical research centre to help develop a vaccine against Zika virus.

Extreme weather swings linked to climate change and a strong El Nino phenomenon this year may be contributing to the outbreak, some experts believe. “In May, June and July, we had 24 patients come in with Guillain-Barre, and none since August”, said Antonio Bandeira, an infectious disease specialist at the hospital.

Most of the patients had also experienced Zika-like symptoms, which can include fever and red splotchy skin, Bandeira said.

Since the start of October, the country has recorded 3,893 cases of microcephaly, compared with 150 cases for all of 2014.

However the scope of the problem remains unclear, as Guillain-Barre has been so rare that Brazil’s Health Ministry does not track the exact number of cases.

The Zika virus has spread to parts of Asia, including Cambodia and Thailand.

Scientists from Brazil’s Fiocruz Institute and Parana Catholic University published a study of a case that showed the virus had passed from an infected woman to her baby through the placenta. Worldwide health bodies have said that’s not yet scientifically established, but they are on the alert.

She said: “All travellers, especially pregnant women going to the Americas, should ensure they seek travel health advice from their GP or a travel clinic well in advance of their trip”.

“I realized that for a week of holidays, it was not worth the risk”.

In Colombia, Deputy Health Minister Fernando Ruiz told The Associated Press the country has recorded 13,531 suspected cases of Zika and said the number could rise to half a million this year.

In Colombia, there are 560 known cases of pregnant women who are infected with the Zika virus, and who are being closely monitored by health workers.

Ruiz said there have been 12 cases of people with Guillain-Barre who also experienced Zika-like symptoms. Colombia, Jamaica and El Salvador have since issued similar recommendations.