• Zika virus is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It causes mild fever and rash. Other symptoms include muscle pain, joint pain, headache, pain behind the eyes and conjunctivitis.
• Zika virus disease is usually mild, with symptoms lasting only a few days. The disease has similar clinical signs to dengue, and may be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common. There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available.
• As of 25 January, 29 countries or territories have reported confirmed autochthonous cases of Zika virus infection in the past nine months: Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guayana, Haiti, Honduras, Maldives, Martinique, Mexico, New Caledonia, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Thailand, Venezuela and US Virgin Islands.
• On 1 December 2015, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) issued an Epidemiological Alert on: 'Neurological syndrome, congenital malformations, and Zika virus infection: Implications for Public Health in the Americas‘.
• Further cases of Zika virus infection are expected to be reported in other countries, where the mosquito vector is present.
• According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the likelihood of travel-related cases in the EU is increasing.