Zika virus will most likely spread to all the countries across the Americas except Canada and Chile, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a statement Sunday. Zika virus will spread throughout the Americas where 'Aedes aegypti' mosquitoes, which transmit the virus in humans, are found - that is, in all countries and territories in the region except Canada and Chile. And because this is the first time that large populations are being exposed to Zika virus, the people in the region have not developed an immunity to it, a factor that could have driven its rapid spread, WHO said.
"We've got no drugs and we've got no vaccines," Trudie Lang, a professor from the University of Oxford, told Reuters. "It's a case of deja vu because that's exactly what we were saying with Ebola."
Although there is still much to discover about Zika virus and its effects on health, it is largely associated with infected pregnant women giving birth to babies with microcephaly. Health experts are also investigating a possible link between the virus and the rare Guillain Barre syndrome, which can cause paralysis and death, CBS News reported.
The virus has been isolated in human semen. There has also been one reported case of possible virus transmission through sexual contact, but it is not yet conclusive, WHO said.
Meanwhile, as health experts continue to know more about the disease, several countries, including Brazil, El Salvador, Colombia, Jamaica and Ecuador, have issued statements recommending that women delay getting pregnant until more information is available, the Washington Post reported.
WHO emphasized the need to prevent mosquito bites and to elminate possible breeding areas of mosquitoes.
"All people living in or visiting areas with 'Aedes' mosquitoes should protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellent; wearing clothes (preferably light-colored) that cover as much of the body as possible; using physical barriers such as screens, closed doors and windows; and sleeping under mosquito nets, especially during the day when 'Aedes' mosquitoes are most active," the agency said.
