CNN– The World Health Organization anticipates that the Zika virus will spread to all but two countries in South, Central and North America.
The mosquito-borne disease has raged in South America and other regions for several months.
Twenty-one countries and territories of the Americas have reported cases of the virus since Brazil reported the first cases of local transmission in May 2015, WHO’s regional office for the Americas said in a statement.
“Aedes mosquitoes — the main vector for Zika transmission — are present in all the region’s countries except Canada and continental Chile,” the statement said.
Hawaii baby born with small head had prior Zika infection
Hawaii baby born with microcephaly had Zika infection
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged pregnant women to postpone travel to Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Martin, Suriname, Samoa, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
The CDC also recommended that women who have recently traveled to these places during their pregnancy be screened and monitored for the virus.
That’s because the virus has been linked to an uptick in babies born with a neurological condition called microcephaly, which can cause abnormally small heads and serious, sometimes deadly, developmental delays.
The WHO attributed the virus’ rapid spread to the fact that people in the Americas lack immunity because they haven’t been exposed to it before.
No prevention or treatment
There is no prevention or treatment for the disease. Travelers to hazardous areas are urged to prevent mosquito bites by using repellent and covering exposed skin.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the disease, bites all day long, so people need to reapply repellent and not let their guard down, officials warn.
Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which are found throughout the United States and are known for transmitting dengue fever and chikungunya, may also transmit the virus, the CDC said.
Symptoms of the virus include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, and can last from a few days to about a week. But 80% of infected people have no symptoms.
Reported cases spread
Three British travelers have been infected with the virus, health officials said over the weekend.
“As of January 2016, three cases associated with travel to Colombia, Suriname and Guyana have been diagnosed in UK travelers,” Public Health England said on its website.
The government agency did not provide further details about the cases but added that the virus “does not occur naturally in the UK.”
In the United States, there are confirmed cases of the virus among individuals who have traveled to infected countries, including in Illinois, Florida and Texas, among others. However, there are no known cases of locally transmitted illness.
“These imported cases might result in local human-to-mosquito-to-human spread of the virus in limited areas of the continental Unites States that have the appropriate mosquito vectors,” according to a new report on the spread of the virus issued by the CDC Friday.
There is at least one known case of a baby born with microcephaly believed to be linked to Zika in Hawaii.
Signs of the end time.
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