12 facts about the Zika virus as outbreak spreads in the Americas

The Aedes aegypti can spread the Zika virus, which is spreading in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean and usually causes a mild illness but is now suspected in an unusual birth defect and possibly other health issues.

On Monday, officials in Arkansas confirmed a resident tested positive for the Zika virus.

According to the CDC, the Zika virus has now spread to Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Paraguay, the US Virgin Islands, Venezuela, among others. These cases where a person travels overseas and contracts the virus can sometimes be called an “imported” case.

President Barack Obama met Tuesday with his senior health advisers, including Fauci, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Centers for Disease Control Director Thomas Frieden. Babies born with a smaller than normal head due to the brain not developing properly.

So far, no one is believed to have contracted the Zika virus in the United States.

“In the United States we have winters and colder season which reduce not only the abundancy of the mosquitoes that transmits the disease, but the ability of that virus to propagate and spread from human to mosquito to human”, said Ko.

Dr. Robin Taylor, associate medical officer of health with Ottawa Public Health, says any woman who is pregnant and has come back from an area where there is Zika virus, should see her doctor. Experts said if you’ve traveled recently and feel any of these symptoms to reach out to the County Health Department for testing within seven days.

“Specific areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing are often hard to determine and are likely to continue to change over time”, the CDC said. American Airlines said it was refunding tickets to El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Guatemala, according to Reuters. In the Caribbean, these are Barbados, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, St. Martin and Puerto Rico.

The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico is reporting a jump in the number of mosquito-borne Zika virus cases.

Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica last week recommended women delay pregnancies till more was known about the virus. They should therefore prevent mosquito bites by continuously using repellent and covering exposed skin, the news channel added.

The World Health Organization said it can’t say conclusively there is a connection, but some evidence does point to that. None were pregnant women.