Facts Behind Zika Virus: What You Need to Know

While officials say mosquitoes could spread the virus in the US, they are optimistic there will not be widespread transmission because of several factors, most notably good mosquito-control efforts.

But as many as 80 percent of people infected never develop symptoms.

Scientists at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil’s leading medical research institution, said in a statement that they had observed for the first time “the destruction or modification of cells provoked by Zika, which proved viral activity”.

The Zika virus, which is spreading through the Americas, has been linked to babies being born with underdeveloped brains.

In order for the virus to spread, Mickelson said someone would have to come back from an infected area carrying the virus and be bitten by the mosquito within two weeks. Those who do experience symptoms may see signs similar to dengue infections, including fever, skin rash, muscle and joint pain, and a headache, according to the WHO.

The residents of Indonesia have been warned to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes while travelling there.

Dr. Garcia said her practice is developing a screening questionnaire to assess each patient’s risk for Zika virus based on her travel history. None of the Zika patients in Florida are pregnant women.

The Health Ministry said in an email to The Associated Press, that while the case of the gunshot victim was not yet part of a scientific study, “the case is among multiple investigations under way into the behavior of the virus”. Subsequently, the head fails to grow, while the face continues to develop at a normal rate, producing a child with a small head and a receding forehead, and a loose, often wrinkled scalp.

The 21-day waiting period also applies to cord blood and stem cell donors who have travelled to Zika-affected areas. Although the Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947, few cases were identified until an isolated outbreak in 2007 in Micronesia, and then another, large outbreak in Polynesia in 2013. Health officials in El Salvador believe that people could develop immunity to the virus over time.

While symptoms are usually mild or nonexistent for most people diagnosed with the disease, Zika has led to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack the nervous system, in rare cases. Although cities in Latin America and the Caribbean often meet these conditions, many impoverished communities along the Gulf Coast in the US are also at risk, said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.