Public health officials say the risk for Canadians is low and limited to those who travel or live in regions where the virus is circulating.

The disease is not believed to spread via human contact and the mosquitoes believed to carry it are not found in NY.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Researchers say it's still relatively rare that a pregnant woman infected around the time of delivery can pass the virus to her newborn.

The Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 although mostly afflicting monkeys.

The Illinois Department of Public Health previously reported two pregnant women tested positive for the mosquito-borne virus after traveling in Honduras and Haiti.

Nadda has directed the Ministry to constitute a technical group with immediate effect to monitor the situation arising out of the spread of Zika in other countries.

PHE advised people to look out for signs of the infection, including fever, joint pain, itching and conjunctivitis or red eyes, but it is estimated that 80% of people with it have no symptoms.

US airlines are offering refunds for flights to areas in the Caribbean and Latin America that have been affected by the Zika virus, the Associated Press reports.

The most common issue showing up in babies whose mothers are infected by Zika is Microcephaly - where the head is much smaller and not well developed.

"We do not have a vaccine for Zika yet".

Alberta Health is recommending that pregnant women discuss their travel plans with their doctor and consider not travelling to areas where Zika virus is circulating.

The World Health Organization has raised a global alert because the disease has spread in Brazil and 22 countries in the Americas.

Brazil, hosting this summer's Olympics, has been hit the hardest, with more than a million people contracting the virus.

"We don't want our residents to panic", he said.

As for those people who are not traveling in one of the 23 countries infected with Zika, medical professionals are adamant that there is no reason to worry about contracting the disease within the U.S.