Over 2100 pregnant Colombian women infected with Zika virus

World Health Organisation officials say there is no scientific proof that Zika stunts the development of the fetus, causing microcephaly, but it is strongly suspected.

Warning that the virus is likely to spread to all countries in the Americas except for Canada and Chile, the World Health Organization (WHO) is holding an emergency meeting on Monday on the Zika virus, which has now spread to 23 countries.

The Zika virus is in the same family as the West Nile, dengue and yellow fever viruses, and like them, is spread through mosquito bites.

Other nations and territories include Barbados, Bolivia, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, Venezuela and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Like Zika, this one’s rare and usually does not cause symptoms. He also noted that many other diseases, for example malaria, are rampant in many places people still visit. Health authorities have linked the Zika virus to microcephaly, which prevents a foetus’ brain from developing properly. “I am nearly 30-years-old and I am thinking about having family soon and it’s a scary idea”, Green said.

Cases of the Zika virus have recently appeared in 19 countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean but Brazil has fared the worst with more than a million infections, Vox reported.

The WHO predicts that three to four million people could be infected with Zika virus in the Americas this year and is taking precautions to protect those who will attending the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. The virus has hit the country hard, with more than 1,500 cases the past month, and critics say the decree is a cry for help.

However, scientists say it may take several years before the vaccine could be rolled out.

A law professor involved in the anencephaly case and also involved in the Zika petition said early detection of microcephaly and access to contraception are also concerns.

For scores of women in the epicentre of the Zika outbreak in Brazil, the joy of pregnancy has given way to fear.

The virus was reported first in 1947, and was thought to be mild, and was never thought to be spreading in a major way.

The Health Ministry has said Zika infection falls within the health requirements women must meet to get abortions in the country, which restricts the procedure unless patients are victims of rape, have significant medical problems or the fetus is fatally deformed. The man who has it had just returned from a trip to Columbia, which is one of nine South American national travelers are advised against visiting, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Dr Cameron Webb, an expert on mosquito-borne viruses has however assured that Australia is well-equipped to handle a Zika virus outbreak.