Zika virus has begun cropping up in the USA, public health officials say, with three new confirmed cases in Florida and two others in IL.

Most people with Zika don't develop symptoms, but those that do usually only develop a fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes.

The CDC also has recommended screening pregnant women for Zika virus if they've traveled to a country where it's a risk, and has also advised pregnant women to consider postponing travel to areas where the virus transmission is ongoing.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has found Zika in the following countries so far: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.

Brazil's health officials say they're convinced the jump is linked to a sudden outbreak of the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease similar to dengue, though the mechanics of exactly how the virus affects the babies remain murky.

Studies in South America have linked the virus to the rare birth defect.

In May 2015, a baby born in Hawaii was infected by Zika virus and had microcephaly, an unusually small or underdeveloped head of infants. No infected Mosquitos have been found in the US.

The Zika virus is spread to humans through the bites of the Aedes mosquito, the same vector that causes dengue fever. The virus is circulating via mosquitoes in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

Dr. Aileen Marty, a Florida International University professor and physician who specializes in infectious diseases, said while the mosquitoes in the continental United States do not have the virus "they can acquire it and amplify it". It is not transmitted from person to person.

Other confirmed cases of Zika have been reported in Africa's Cabo Verde and the aforementioned "watch" places.

The CDC and only a few state health departments have the capability to conduct the test to confirm a Zika virus.

The virus is not spread person to person. The Brazilian government has also announced that a research for developing a vaccine against the Zika virus is already funded while eradication of mosquito habitats continues.

The guidelines also advise healthcare providers to ask all pregnant women about their recent travel history.

The Health Ministry has monitored more than 9,200 suspected cases of the virus, including more than 200 pregnant women, 14 of whom were confirmed to have been infected with Zika.

According to Pan-American Health Organisation figures, the country is second only to Brazil in infection rates, Alejandro Gaviria told journalists on Wednesday.