World Health Organization appeals for $56m to fight Zika virus

The Zika virus has spread rapidly through the Americas, sparking alarm over the possible link between the virus and the birth defect microcephaly.

Authorities here say pregnant Korean women do not have to worry about Zika virus infections if they did not travel overseas but should avoid traveling to affected parts of the world.

Dengue fever, Chikungunya virus and Zika virus are spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.

Very few of the microcephaly cases can be attributed to causes other than Zika, after extensive analyses and testing, the health ministry said.

People who have travelled to an area with active Zika transmission should delay blood donations for at least four weeks.

“So we do know it is potential for an infected man to transmit Zika Virus through sex to his female partner”, added Dobbs. We are working closely with governments to help keep communities safe from infection by the Zika virus.

According to the Center for Disease Control, there have been reports of a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly and other poor pregnancy outcomes in babies of mothers who were infected with the Zika virus while pregnant.

The following are some questions and answers about the virus and the current outbreak.

The explosive spread of the virus is now at the centre of a public health crisis in South and Central America, has led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare an global emergency.

However, it said that if Zika is also tied to the paralysis-causing Guillain-Barre syndrome, if transmission by sexual contact is confirmed or if the public becomes even more anxious about the disease, the economic impact could be “significantly larger”. Brazil is investigating more than 3,900 additional suspected cases of microcephaly.

Samples of a mniotic fluid, the protective liquid around the foetus contained by the amniotic sac, were analysed for infections and scientists confirmed the presence of the virus.

The new case was reported in Brevard County.

There are other factors that are not known to experts and many studies on zika virus are underway.

The Zika virus has been detected in babies with malformed heads, as well as in the placenta of one woman whose child had microcephaly.