Zika Virus Likely Spread Across American Continents

ACOG President Dr. Mark DeFrancesco said in a news release, “Travel to regions with ongoing Zika virus outbreaks is not recommended for women who are pregnant or women who are considering pregnancy”.

It is transmitted through the Aedes mosquito and usually causes a mild fever and a skin rash, along with conjunctivitis (or pink eye) and muscle or joint pain, according to the WHO.

As the Zika virus continues to grab headlines and its spread threatens, governments and industry are urgently committing resources and analyzing vaccine development options.

Canada and Chile are the only two countries the virus isn’t expected to reach, because the Aedes mosquitos that are the main means of transmission aren’t there yet, World Health Organization officials said.

“One case of possible person-to-person sexual transmission has been described”, the agency said, adding though that it needed more evidence to say the virus can be transmitted through sexual contact.

The Zika virus, which is carried by mosquitoes, has recently become a major concern for Latin American nations. Infants with microcephaly have smaller than normal heads and their brains do not develop properly.

To try to combat the virus, several countries – including Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador and Jamaica – have asked women to postpone their pregnancies when possible. In the US, pregnant women have been warned to avoid travel to south of the Mexican border or in the Caribbean. Although researchers haven’t proved that surviving one bout of Zika confers immunity, it appears to be the case based on previous outbreaks.

There was no vaccine but attempts could be made to limit mosquito bites, she said.

“Although a causal link between Zika in pregnancy & microcephaly has not been established, the circumstantial evidence is worrisome”, said Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, said in a press conference today.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about the Zika virus.

The U.S. also benefits from infrastructure that is lacking in Central and South America, Schaffner said, including air conditioning and insecticides.

Health experts blame the chaotic growth of urban centers and the proliferation of plastic, which provide fertile mosquito breeding grounds, for the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries Zikai.

The best defenses against the disease focus on mosquito-control, as well as taking action to prevent being bitten by mosquitos.

“The risk is really for pregnant women going to areas that are affected”.

The travel advisories could spell bad news for the tourism economies of these countries, in particular Brazil, which is hoping for a surge in tourism for the 2016 Olympics to help with a deep recession.