Zika has spread rapidly in Brazil, and now, it seems going the way of Colombia. The South American country has announced that there is currently over 2,000 pregnant women infected with the virus.
The National Health Institute reports that there are now a total of 20,297 cases of infection by the virus that causes irreversible brain damage in newborns and that includes 2,116 pregnant women.
With these figures, Colombia can be considered as South America's second most infected region. Brazil, the most infected country, is where the virus is suspected to have originated.
The most affected in Colombia are the women. They have accounted for about 63.6 percent of the cases. Health authorities say that they expect over 600,000 people to be infected with the Zika virus this year, and estimate that some 500 cases will be microcephaly.
The rapid spread of the virus in Latin America has alerted Asian health authorities which promptly issued advisories to prevent it from reaching their shores. Travel advisories were issued to pregnant women asking them to avoid travelling to Central and South America.
Zika virus is linked to the Aedes Mosquito. It causes the underdevelopment of heads and brains of fetus inside the womb of pregnant women. At birth, the newborn will have a small skull housing a small brain. Currently, there is no vaccine or cure to this condition.
To prevent the disease from spreading in the Asian region, health authorities have requested travellers coming from the Americas, who manifests symptoms of the disease, to present themselves to health authorities for inspection and treatment of symptoms. Doctors are also required to report actual cases of Zika virus infection once they are detected.
In a statement, the National Health Institute of Colombia suggested for married couples to delay their pregnancies for about six to eight months. Perhaps they hoped that by that time, an effective vaccine is already developed and distributed in the country.
