Colombia has over 2000 Zika cases in pregnant women

According to a Canadian Public Health Agency notice, there is concern that an increase in the incidence of microcephaly, or abnormally small heads among newborns reported in Brazil past year may be linked to the Zika virus.

However, there is ongoing risk to Ontarians travelling to regions affected with Zika virus.

Colombia disclosed on Saturday that 2116 pregnant women in the country have been infected by the Zika virus.

Zika virus, first detected in Uganda’s Zika forest in 1947, is transmitted to humans through the “Aedes mosquito” which is also the main carrier of dengue fever. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis.

What is the possibility of an outbreak in the U.S.? It’s reasonable as well to demand that health officials at home and overseas move expeditiously to combat the virus and that they proceed on the assumption – as yet unproved – that the mosquito-borne virus can cause severe birth defects.

Dr. Gregory Taylor said there have been four recent cases in Canada – two in British Columbia, one in Alberta and a newly disclosed case in Quebec, all of them involving people who recently travelled to affected areas.

Women who are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant who need to travel to an infected country are encouraged to consult their doctor.

According to Dr. Saul, one in five people infected with Zika virus will come down with mild symptoms which can last up to a week.

For pregnant women, an infection could be serious and impact the health of their babies.

The figures confirm that the province of Norte de Santander, bordering on Venezuela, continues to have the most cases of pregnant women infected with Zika, or 37.2 percent of the total.

The body also stressed that the type of mosquito thought to be carrying Zika – Aedes aegypti – was not present in the United Kingdom and was unlikely to establish itself due to the UK’s low temperatures.

He said that emergency status would help better fight the virus overseas before it spreads any further.

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has announced a nationwide attack on the mosquito that spreads the Zika virus, vowing to “win this war” against the insect that researchers have linked to a rare birth defect. For that reason, the CDC is recommending that women who are pregnant or may become pregnant not to travel to the 24 countries where the disease is widespread.