State Health Department confirms three cases of Zika virus

Meanwhile, US health authorities have warned pregnant women to avoid travelling to more than 20 countries in the Americas and beyond, where Zika cases have been registered.

The disease chikungunya first appeared in the Caribbean island of Saint Martin in 2013 and has since spread to 45 different countries.

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With the sting of a mosquito bite and a fever, many pregnant women may not know that they caught the Zika virus – until it strikes their unborn child.

Common symptoms associated with the virus include fever, rash, joint pain and bloodshot eyes.

Brazil says the number of babies born with suspected microcephaly has reached 4,000 since October. However, from January to August 2015, the state was able to report 33 cases already.

People who have recovered from an infection can not spread the virus to mosquitoes and people don’t infect other people, with the rare possibility that men may sometimes transmit it in sperm.

“Your cranium expands in order to accommodate the growth of your brain and these babies have neuro-developmental anomalies essentially”, said Dr. Ricks-Cord.

While the link between Zika and microcephaly has not been confirmed, the Zika virus was found in five of the 49 babies who have died of microcephaly in Brazil so far, according to the country’s health ministry.

In north-east Brazil, there has been a marked increase in cases of newborn babies with microcephaly.

On Jan. 15, the CDC issued a travel alert (Level 2-Practice Enhanced Precautions) for people traveling to regions and certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing: the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a USA territory; Brazil; Colombia; El Salvador; French Guiana; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; Martinique; Mexico; Panama; Paraguay; Suriname; and Venezuela.

“We strongly advise all travellers to avoid mosquito bites and urge pregnant women to consider avoiding travel to areas where Zika outbreaks are now reported”.

The Brazilian government has announced plans to fund a biomedical research centre to help develop a vaccine against Zika virus.

The news will affect thousands of people who are planning to travel to Brazil for the Olympics this August.

If tests reveal signs of infection, ultrasounds should be considered to monitor the fetus’ development, and referral to a maternal-fetal medicine or infectious disease specialist with expertise in pregnancy management is also recommended, the CDC advised.