WHO: Zika virus spreading to almost all the Americas

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.Zika and dengue protection: How to keep away mosquitoesAedes mosquitoes -- the main vector for Zika transmission -- are present in all the region's countries except Canada and continental Chile," the statement said.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.
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.