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CDC issues Latin America Zika virus alert for pregnant travelers
Sunday, 19 Jan, 2016
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged pregnant women to consider postponing travel to more than a dozen Latin American countries as the first confirmed case of the Zika virus was reported in the US.
Health officials in Oahu, Hawaii said a baby was born with microcephaly, a birth defect which is caused by the virus.
"The mother likely had Zika infection when she was residing in Brazil in May 2015 and her newborn acquired the infection in the womb," the Hawaii State Department of Health said.
"Neither the baby nor the mother is infectious and there was never a risk of transmission in Hawaii."
Pregnant women have been alerted by the CDC to possible infections in Brazil, Columbia, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, French Guiana, Suriname and Venezuela.
Like many tropical diseases, Zika spreads through mosquito bites and there is no vaccine or effective drug to treat it.
Zika was first reported in Brazil in May 2015 and in Puerto Rico last month.
Symptoms include fever, rash and joint pain and can last from a few days to a week.
"Because the Aedes species mosquitoes that spread Zika virus are found throughout the world, it is likely that outbreaks will spread to new countries," the CDC said on its website.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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