Zika virus spreads rapidly through Latin America

The disorder which can leave a person on life-support starts with weakness of muscles that begins with legs and gradually spreads to arms and face.

The CDC also said that the syndrome has been reported in patients who have had the disease previously, and agency officials announced last week they are sending a team to Brazil to investigate the possible link.

The baby was born to a woman who had been living in Brazil early in her pregnancy.

The Zika virus is spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito, the same mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

“Have long sleeve shirts and trousers, wearing mosquito repellant, DEET is actually okay during pregnancy as look as you follow the normal guidelines”, said Dr. Kappenman.

In Brazil, the authorities reported more than 3,500 cases of microcephaly this past year, which is a dramatic increase from the 150 cases that were confirmed in 2014.

The Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), this week, recommended that countries in Latin America and the Caribbean be on watch for occurrences of the Zika virus, now rampant in the region.

Forty-nine babies with suspected microcephaly have died, Brazil’s health ministry says.

The authorities there are advising women to try to avoid pregnancy for the the next two years to avoid passing on complications to babies.

For decades Zika was a virus that turned up in monkeys and occasionally in humans in Africa and Southeast Asia.

“There’s a lot we don’t know, ” including how much Zika is in the different areas, or how likely it is that Zika infection in a pregnant woman will lead to the birth defect, he added.

An adult who contracts Zika may experience a slight fever and a rash, as well as and pain in the joints and behind the eyes.

The hardest hit country, however, is Brazil where more than 1 million people have contracted the virus. The babies are said to have unusually small heads. The outbreak was documented on Yap island in Micronesia, whereby an estimated 73 percent of residents were infected with Zika virus.

The CDC says doctors should ask all pregnant women if they’ve been to affected areas, and get them tested for Zika if they have traveled and also show symptoms.

While there is no vaccine to prevent Zika or medicine to treat it, the CDC advised that travelers can protect themselves from the disease by taking steps to prevent mosquito bites.