Malaysia has issued a health alert to all public and private health facilities on the Zika virus following a World Health Organisation alarm that the virus is spreading explosively. Before that, the infected mosquitoes were found in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Although the virus is spreading in South and Central America, there is concern about it coming to the United States. The Health Ministry has warned that the country may be vulnerable to an outbreak of the Zika virus.

Dr. Gregory Taylor says there have been four recent cases in Canada - two in BC, one in Alberta, and a newly disclosed case in Quebec - all of them involving people who recently travelled to affected areas.

The World Health Organization has announced it will hold an emergency meeting of independent experts next Monday to decide if the outbreak of the Zika virus should be declared an global health emergency.

CNN's reports more than 30 travel-related cases have been confirmed in this country. Symptoms can include a rash, pink eye, sore muscles and joints, and a fever.

The Aedes Aegypti mosquito carries Zika virus which is thought to cause brain damage in babies. Zika causes flu-like symptoms for some people, but for most, there are no signs. The CDC is still learning what the connection between the virus and the birth defect is, but pregnant women are advised to avoid affected areas or take extra precautions to prevent mosquito bites. Its threat is similar to any other infection in small children, though parents should seek testing as soon as possible if they believe their child is infected with Zika.

Chan said that as of Thursday, Zika cases have been reported in 23 countries and territories in the region.

Dr Lokman was quoted as saying that the risks were high for Malaysians because they had no immunity to the Zika virus, making it likely that the disease could spread very quickly. "This mosquito is apparently a daytime mosquito and it hosts on humans, so it would take the virus from someone who had a positive virus to the next person, the human the host".