On November 29, Digital Journal reported a total of 739 suspected cases had already been identified throughout Brazil so far this year, compared to 147 diagnosed cases in 2014, according to official figures.
While Brazil has said there was a link between the mosquito-borne Zika virus and the uptick of babies being born with microcephaly, which can cause developmental and intellectual difficulties, including a lack of muscle coordination and limited intelligence, the WHO, in a statement on microcephaly said the cause of the microcephaly outbreak in Brazil has not been identified, reports Reuters.
In the WHO statement, Brazil’s Ministry of health reported that as of Dec. 5, 1,761 suspected cases of microcephaly, including 19 deaths, have been identified. The cases were distributed over 422 municipalities across the country, with most of the cases being found in the states of Pernambuco and Paraíba.
On Dec. 7, the Ministry of Health revised its definition of microcephaly to include newborns with a head circumference of less than 32 cm, instead of 33 cm previously. In addition, the Huffington Post reported that on Dec. 1, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert on the Zika virus, saying cases of the virus were reported in Brazil, Chile (on Easter Island), Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Panama can now be added to the countries in the Americas where the virus has spread. On Dec. 10, Panama reported its first case of locally acquired Zika virus. This means the person caught the disease from a mosquito in that country, rather than traveling in another country.
Zika virus is mainly spread by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito. These mosquitoes are found on every continent except Antarctica. The Zika virus is a relative of the viruses that cause dengue fever, yellow fever, and West Nile infections. According to the CDC, symptoms of the disease include fever, rash and joint pain that usually appear three to seven days after a mosquito bite, and last about a week.
The big takeaway with this story is that travelers to Central and South America should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites, and pregnant women are advised to be extra careful while traveling in these countries. Zika was first identified in humans in Nigeria in 1954. Since that time, it has spread around the world, and it is likely the virus will travel northward as the climate changes.
