In NY State Test Positive For Zika Virus, Including Queens Resident

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

The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Sunday (Jan 24) that it is monitoring the Zika virus situation closely, although no cases of the virus have been detected in Singapore.

The rise in cases of Guillain-Barre has also alarmed health officials region-wide.

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

Brazil, which has been hit hard by Zika, says almost 4,000 babies have been born with suspected microcephaly since October, and USA officials say pregnant women should avoid traveling to countries affected by the outbreak.

Brazilian authorities blame it for a wave of birth defects, though global experts say the link isn’t yet proven.

Last week, the agency urged pregnant women and women considering becoming pregnant to postpone visits to Puerto Rico, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela. The rare nerve disorder causes muscle weakness in the legs and then spreads to arms and face, and can cause numbness, trouble walking and even limb paralysis. “Some people will pay attention to this and realize they are at risk for something, others are obviously going to ignore it”, he said.

“I am very afraid”, said Jacinta Silva Goes, a 39-year-old cleaning lady in Sao Paulo who is expecting her third child.

Three Britons have been infected with Zika virus after travelling to South and Central America, Public Health England (PHE) has said.

The CDC said a newborn in Hawaii was found to have brain damage linked to Zika.

There is no antiviral treatment for the virus and no vaccine to prevent infection.

Zika infection is a mild febrile viral illness transmitted by the bite of a Zika virus-carrying Aedes aegyti mosquito, which is the same mosquito which causes Dengue Fever and Chikungunya.

The good news is, while it’s not certain, scientists believe once an individual has been infected with the virus, they are immune and won’t become infected again, according to Higgs.