Big Zika virus outbreak unlikely in US — CDC

Following its initial discovery in a monkey in Uganda’s Zika forest in 1947, the disease “slumbered” and “occasionally caused a mild disease of low concern”, in humans, Chan said.

“You might feel like you have the flu with a rash”, said Dr. Abbo.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Wednesday sought to differentiate the situation from the scare over Ebola in fall 2014, saying there are “a number of significant differences between the Ebola virus and the Zika virus”.

Leaders said they are working quickly to find out how they can stop the spread of the virus.

According to the Centre for Disease and Control, these mosquitoes typically lay eggs in and near standing water in things like buckets, bowls, animal dishes, flower pots and vases.

Bach said the IOC would send advice this week to all national Olympic committees, which can then tell athletes about safety guidelines.

Officials wouldn’t say where the people had recently traveled, describing the locations as areas where the “virus transmission is ongoing”.

All of them are believed to have caught the infection while travelling in the Caribbean or Latin America where there are outbreaks of the tropical illness.

There are a total of 31 cases of the disease across 11 US states, according to WHEC-TV. The virus can take hold if enough people become infected for it to become endemic – a word meaning it’s in a region permanently.

Zika is carried by mosquitoes. “Getting rid of Zika is the responsibility of all of us”.

Bach spoke during a visit to Greece where he promoted a $2 million global assistance program for refugee athletes. “Now something like that, as people know, is going to be a 12-month-plus time frame”, he said.

The committee will first assess if Zika constitutes an emergency of worldwide concern or not. The virus has since spread to 20 countries.

The release of new figures apparently finding fewer cases of microcephaly in Brazil than first feared is adding force to calls for more research into the link between the rare birth defect and the spreading Zika virus.

At the WHO briefing, Dr. Marcos Espinal, the director of Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis at the WHO’s Pan American Health Organization, noted that those neurological conditions have so far only been found in Brazil.

World Health Organization also warned China and all other countries that have dengue fever to be on the lookout for Zika infections.

The NIAID told us “Several NIAID-supported Zika vaccine efforts already are under way, including live-attenuated vaccines, DNA vaccines and VSV-vectored vaccines”. Having small heads can cause severe developmental issues and sometimes death.

The country has more than 4000 suspected cases of microcephaly.

WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan said Zika has gone from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning pregnant women against travel to affected areas.

For one, there is no vaccine or cure for those infected with the virus.

However, the outbreak only started to attract global attention after the PAHO linked it to an increase in the number of microcephalic babies born in Brazil and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) cases in El Salvador.

The White House released a photograph on Tuesday of President Obama meeting with his advisors to discuss the virus.