(Newswire.net — January 28, 2016) — The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne virus, is spreading throughout North and South America, with the exception of Canada and Chile, warned the World Health Organization (WHO).
As the number of infected suddenly jumped from 147 in 2014 to 2,400 in 2015, six Brazilian provinces have declared a state of emergency.
The authorities in Brazil have urged women to delay childbearing due to 2,700 babies being born with deformities that are suspected to have been caused by the Zika virus.
Women who are planning to travel to areas where the virus is active should consult with medical institutions before their trip and upon return, recommended officials from the World Health Organization.
The Zika virus is transmitted through blood, but WHO warned that it has also been detected in human semen although it is not yet confirmed whether the virus can be transmitted during sex.
Health experts are doing tests to discover how the Zika virus functions and how it transmits from the mother to the baby, whether during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.
What is known is that it is spread by mosquitoes, the same mosquitoes that spread dengue and yellow fever.
Almost 80 percent of infected people do not know that they carry the virus until symptoms appear.
The symptoms after infection are a fever, rash, conjunctivitis and headaches. These last about seven days and are mostly mild but in some extreme cases the virus can be deadly.
The virus posses the biggest threat to pregnant women as it can affect the unborn child.
Most alarming is that the virus has been linked to microcephaly in babies born to women affected by Zika during pregnancy. This is the birth of a baby with an abnormally small head, which may cause development issues later in life.
Doctors advise that the only kind of protection for now is to avoid travel to countries and areas in which the virus appears. If, however, the journey can not be delayed, high protection against mosquitoes is advised as there is no vaccine or medicine to prevent Zika.
Healthcare organizations and institutes around the world are trying to produce a vaccine that will stop the dangerous virus.