Pregnant women are being warned about travel to the Caribbean after the zika virus was found in mosquitoes in Guyana and Barbados.
The virus is found in a specific kind of mosquito, the aedes aegypti, but any mosquito can pick it up and transmit it if it bites an infected person. It can be transmitted through blood transfusion, birth and sex.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment for zika, once infected.
The Public Health Agency in Canada issued the travel notice for the zika virus which has been linked to a surge in miscarriages and birth defects in Brazil.
In a notice on its website, the agency says pregnant women and women considering becoming pregnant should discuss travel plans with their doctors to assess their risk.
It also recommends these women “consider postponing travel to areas where the zika virus is circulating.
“If travel cannot be postponed then strict mosquito bite prevention measures should be followed to protect themselves against bites.”
Guyana and Barbados have recorded their first cases of the zika virus.
Guyana’s Minister of Health Dr. George Norton said it was detected in a 27-year-old female who hailed from Rose Hall, Corentyne, Berbice. He said his ministry has taken measures to arrest the outbreak.
Zika is transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected person, then spreads the virus by biting others.
One in five persons infected with the virus become ill, so many do not even know they are carrying the virus. However, they can infect others and it could affect a fetus.
Symptoms usually begin three to seven days after being bitten and are usually mild: low fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes, muscle pain and sometimes vomiting. Symptoms can last from two days to a week.