Zika virus travel alert adds 8 places

They come as the U.S. warned pregnant women against travel to 22 countries that are experiencing Zika outbreaks, most in Latin America and the Caribbean.

During the first week of infection, Zika virus can be passed from an infected person to another via mosquito bites.

Earlier this week, the CDC reported that health officials in the USA have so far confirmed 12 cases of Zika, in Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas.

The virus is not contagious and normally has flu-like symptoms.

The link between Zika and microcephaly has yet to be confirmed, but recent cases of infant deaths in Brazil – where doctors have been left with no explanation other than Zika – have been enough evidence for the CDC to target pregnant women with their warnings about the virus.

Health officials in NY said the three patients had recently returned from countries were the virus is prevalent, and that one had already recovered. The countries on the list include: Barbados, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Guyana, Cape Verde, Samoa, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. In addition, travelers may be at risk of contracting dengue or chikungunya viruses from mosquitoes in these regions.

When pregnant women are infected, the virus may be transmitted via the placenta to the fetus and cause microcephaly, a condition where a baby is born with an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development.

The Zika virus has been known since 1947 when it was identified in Uganda. “That’s why pregnant women and women who are considering pregnancy should delay planned travel to areas where Zika virus outbreaks are ongoing”.

“If they decide to get pregnant then take the necessary measures to protect mothers during their pregnancy they cover a large part of their bodies so they are not exposed to the mosquito which could cause Zika and a child with microcephaly”.

Such women should also talk to their health care provider to assess their risk and strictly follow precautions to avoid mosquito bites if they can’t postpone the trip.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said the possibility of an increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome is worrying because it can be extremely risky if it reaches the muscles in the diaphragm that control breathing.

One in four people infected with Zika develop symptoms and many cases of Zika go undetected, making it hard to estimate the true scale of the outbreak in the Americas.