Birth defects linked to Zika virus still rising in Brazil

Maierovitch said Brazil was working to ramp up its capacity to test for the Zika virus. On Wednesday, three cases of Zika virus, Florida's first, were recorded in people who had recently traveled in Latin America. Here in the United States there have been cases reported in Florida, Illinois, Texas and Hawaii.

In the Brazil cases, most of the mothers apparently were infected during the first trimester, but there is some evidence the birth defect can occur later in pregnancy, CDC officials have said. Normally, about 150 cases of microcephaly are reported, and Brazil says it is investigating more than 3,500 reported cases.

A travel alert (Level 2 - Practice Enhanced Precautions) has been issued by the Centers for Disease Control for anyone planning to visit locations where the virus is active. Currently, they include Puerto Rico and Mexico along with regions of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, comprising El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Haiti, Martinique, Brazil, Colombia, French Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Travelers to these countries are advised to avoid or minimize mosquito bites by staying in screened or air-conditioned rooms or sleeping under mosquito nets, wearing insect repellent at all times and wearing long trousers, long sleeves, shoes and hats.

"That's a concern for us here because we are a major tourist destination for visitors from the epidemic areas", said Dr. Antonio Crespo, an infectious disease specialist at Orlando Health.

At the moment, health officials are concerned it's related to the old, but rare, Zika virus.

The Zika virus is something the Public Health Agency of Canada has taken notice of too. The announcement was made by the southern state of Parana branch of Fiocruz research institute.

In Illinois, two pregnant women have been reported as having become infected with the virus.

The Zika virus seems to be slowly spreading around the globe, causing fear among individuals, especially pregnant women. All these symptoms should be treated as they appear, since the virus still does not have a specific vaccine or cure. Mothers with the virus who are pregnant with child may also give birth to babies with unusually small heads and underdeveloped brains. Microcephaly is a medical condition that results in a small head because the brain has stopped growing or is not developing properly.

"If you're infected when you're pregnant, then it's either going to affect the baby or it's not", Dodson said.

"There have been people who have gone so far as to recommend that women not get pregnant".