'500 million people at risk of contracting Zika in Americas'

Washington: About 500 million people in the Americas are at risk of being infected by the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to serious birth defects, experts say.
"It's important to note that all countries which have reported, detected dengue and chikungunya virus outbreaks during the last years, that's 15 years, are considered at risk for having outbreaks of Zika," said Sylvain Aldighieri, Zika incident manager for Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).
"It means that we are expecting outbreaks of Zika from Middle America to Latin America to the north of Argentina and in the Caribbean. So it is a very large portion of territory of the region," said Aldighieri. So far the number of countries and territories in the Americas reporting Zika virus transmission has increased to 37, of which five countries including Brazil have reported microcephaly that causes brain damage and an abnormally small head in babies born to mothers infected during pregnancy. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said that his agency is working to begin a clinical trial for a Zika vaccine in September, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Zika is said to be transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito, which also spreads chikungunya and dengue.
Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, but severe disease requiring hospitalisation is uncommon and case fatality is low. There is no vaccine or medicine available for the virus.