Three things to know about Zika virus

The viral disease can be transmitted from person to person by the aedes aegypti mosquito, which is a scenario that could easily be repeated with Zika virus.

Doctors say 80 percent of people who get Zika virus never show signs, as the symptoms are mild. Zika virus often produces flu-like symptoms like fever, headaches and joint pain as well as skin rashes and conjunctivitis among others. Researchers have been investigating the possible association between Zika virus infection and microcephaly in infants.

Rousseff also called on Brazilians to redouble their efforts to eliminate the mosquito and its breeding grounds. The virus had been reported in 178 Colombian municipalities and in 28 out of the country’s 32 departments, according Martha Lucia Ospina, director of the National Institutes of Health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that there are at least “a dozen or so” confirmed cases of Zika virus in residents who recently traveled to countries where the mosquito-borne virus is spreading.

Five travel-related cases of the Zika virus have been reported by Florida and IL state officials on Tuesday, adding to global concern regarding the mosquito-borne tropical disease.

Zika is spread by bites from two mosquito species: Aedes aegypti (primarily) and Aedes albopictus, both found in Florida. “The onset of illnesses a few days after the tick or mosquito bites and the illness may last anywhere from a few days to a week”, said Dr. Johan Bakken, St. Luke’s Infectious Disease Consultant. These babies are born with abnormally small heads. No cases have been reported yet in Argentina. “When microcephaly is severe, babies can have other symptoms such as seizures, vision problems and developmental disabilities”, she explained. The Hawaiian newborn was the first in the U.S.to be born with the Zika-associated congenital defect, cases of which have exploded in Brazil since May.

The two women who recently traveled to Latin America are now under the supervision of health officials.

“With the recent outbreaks in the Pacific Islands and South America, the number of Zika cases among travelers visiting or returning to the United States will likely increase”, the CDC noted in comments accompanying a global map of Zika virus transmission.

The World Health Organization suggests that individuals use insect repellent, wear light-colored clothes that cover the entire body.