A World Map Of The ZiKV Pandemic – Zika Infects More Of Carribbean Islands
The CDC added two Dutch islands in the Caribbean to the list of countries and territories with local transmission of the Zika virus in July. On July 14, the agency added St. Eustatius, and on Tuesday, neighboring Saba also got added.
The Zika virus, which is transmitted mainly via mosquitoes, has been identified in the US but only in people who’ve recently traveled to Zika hot spots. Once infected with Zika, only about 20% of people ever show symptoms, which most commonly include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. There is no vaccine or treatment available for the virus. One reason Zika is troubling is because it is a cause of birth defects including microcephaly (a condition where the baby’s head is abnormally small) in babies whose mothers have had Zika. The virus has also been linked to a neurological condition called Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
Here are all 51 countries and territories where local transmission of the virus has been reported as of Wednesday, July 27:
To show just how rapidly how this virus had gained a foothold in the Americas, we’ve also created a GIF displaying
all the places the Zika virus has spread through local transmission since the start of the outbreak:
