United Nations to decide if Zika virus is a global health emergency

New York City health officials say three New Yorkers have contracted the Zika virus.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has warned pregnant women to take precautions against mosquito bites when travelling to areas in Central and South America where there have been Zika outbreaks.

Most people do not need to be hospitalized from the disease.

But officials are studying whether some severe birth defects can be linked to an infection during pregnancy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it is working to defer blood donations from travellers who have visited one of the regions where the Zika virus is prevalent.

The virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, has been spreading rapidly in Latin America.

Arrival of the virus in some countries of the Americas, notably Brazil, has been associated with a steep increase in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a poorly understood condition in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, sometimes resulting in paralysis.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. “As of today, cases have been reported in 23 countries and territories in the region”, she said, promising that the World Health Organization would act fast.

Reflecting traveler concerns over the virus, JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O) Corp joined a string of airlines on Thursday offering to refund customers with travel to areas impacted by the Zika virus, or to let them rebook flights.

“It’s worrying to know that the baby could be affected”, said Ms Cindy Contreras, 30, who is seven months pregnant with her first child and was slowly advancing through the long line at the hospital. United spokesman Charles Hobart said the offer was intended for pregnant woman, or those expecting to become pregnant, and their travel companions. Currently, the virus has been reported in around 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, with Brazil, where 49 babies have died, being the hardest hit.

The World Health Organization has called Thursday’s special session on Zika in part to convey its concern about an otherwise mild illness that has sown fear among many would-be mothers in Brazil, who have often responded by covering themselves head-to-toe in clothing in the often hot, largely tropical country or slopped on many coats of insect repellent.

Asked about the risks for those travelling to Brazil for the summer Olympics, Fauci said aggressively controlling mosquitoes there “is probably the best way”.

The WHO will meet on Monday to set up an Emergency Committee to determine the level of the global response to the outbreak.

President Obama hosted a meeting of federal health specialists on the issue earlier this week.