19 in the US infected with Zika Virus, per report

All of them contracted the virus overseas.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama called for the rapid development of tests, vaccines and treatments to fight the virus, following a briefing on the spread of the disease, the White House said.

The Netherlands confirmed 10 cases and Britain five, all among people returning from South America. The most recent other case occurred in 2014. The mosquito-borne illness is linked to major birth defects; abnormally small heads and limited brain function.

A disease spreading through South and Central America is prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to warn pregnant women not to travel to 24 countries and territories. Those that do show mild ones: fever, rash, red eyes. Right now, there are no commercially available tests, Zika virus testing is performed at the CC Arbovirus Diagnostic Lab and state health departments. “In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus infection in Brazil“.

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) which was initiated during the Ebola scare should come into action again and screen passengers coming from Zika-affected countries. GBS has been reported in patients with probable Zika virus infection in French Polynesia and Brazil, the CDC reported.

Zika typically only presents symptoms in one out of every four people who contract it. However, Zika is way more of a risk to pregnant mothers, more specifically to their unborn children. United Airlines said customers can get refunds or change their flight without a fee, while American Airlines is offering refunds to pregnant women.

On Tuesday, Brazil’s health minister, Marcelo Castro, announced that 220,000 military personnel were being deployed to bolster efforts to eradicate the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmits Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

The CDC is now warning women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant to avoid travel or take precautions in the almost two dozen countries with Zika virus.