Two Zika cases in Republic of Ireland confirmed

“With the onset of spring and summer, the risk that Zika virus will spread increases”. “Travelers who have returned from the affected regions should use protection for at least 30 days”.

“A number of travellers infected with Zika have entered Europe, but the disease has not been transmitted further, as the mosquito is still inactive”. The disease can cause fever, rash, muscle and joint aches and red eyes, but also has been linked to the birth defect microcephaly and other poor birth outcomes in some women infected during their pregnancy.

The virus is spread primarily by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, whose habitat is concentrated in the tropics – giving temperate countries an apparent reprieve.

There is no treatment or vaccine available for Zika infection.

“Based on what we know now, the best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to prevent mosquito bites AND to avoid exposure to semen from someone who has been exposed to Zika virus or has been ill from Zika virus infection”, the CDC wrote.

“(Because of) the way dengue has spread over the last several years across continents and across countries, (and with) Zika being a mosquito borne illness, there is a potential for spread”, she told Indian news channel NDTV. The South Korean government said it now has no detailed plans to tackle the sexual transmission of the virus.

A rare case of the Zika virus being transmitted through sex, not a mosquito bite, has been reported in the US.

The CDC has already recommended that pregnant women postpone trips to countries with Zika outbreaks, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Venezuela. “Air-conditioning tends to deter mosquitoes too, which, as tourists, we are lucky to benefit from, unlike numerous Brazilian population”. “This highlights our ignorance of this virus”.

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“We are sure we will win this battle and it will not affect the Games”, said Rio 2016 organizing committee spokesman Mario Andrada. It is unclear whether in pregnant women the virus crosses the placenta and causes microcephaly.

After almost 40 years of studying the Ebola virus, doctors learned for the first time just last year that it could survive in semen for weeks or months and infect women through sex.

Since October, Brazil has reported 3,670 suspected cases of microcephaly, of which 404 have been confirmed – up from 147 in 2014.

Mexico announced it was creating special brigades to address areas likely to have more mosquitoes.

Long-term health consequences of Zika infection remain unclear.

Professor Luis Cuevas, a professor of global health and epidemiology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said more research was needed to determine how long the virus could be infectious in sexual secretions.