

According to PAHO’s January 17, 2016 Epidemiological update, the countries and territories that have to date confirmed local Zika virus transmission are Brazil, Barbados, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, and Venezuela. This is twice the number of countries and territories that were reported as having locally transmitted cases of Zika in the previous epidemiological update (December 1, 2015).
The Jan. 17 PAHO alert also recommends that countries in the Americas prepare their healthcare facilities to respond to a potential increase in demand for specialized care for neurological syndromes, to strengthen prenatal care, and to continue their efforts to reduce the presence of mosquito vectors through effective vector-control strategies and communication to the public.
Link to alert: Neurological syndrome, congenital anomalies, and Zika virus infection here.



