Dr. Vanessa Van Der Linden, the neuro-pediatrician who first recognized the microcephaly crisis in Brazil, measures the head of a 2-month-old baby with microcephaly.

"As a result of this expanded testing being offered in NY, more women and their clinicians will have better information to make the right healthcare decisions at the cutting edge of laboratory science", state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in a statement.

The World Health Organization (WHO) voiced concern on Wednesday over a report that the Zika virus had been sexually transmitted in the United States and called for further investigation into the mosquito-borne virus linked to birth defects.

"The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week", the ministry said. He gave no details on the patients, including whether any is pregnant.

Only one in five people with Zika becomes ill and experiences symptoms, so technically, someone could be infected and unsafe to pregnant women without anyone knowing.

Her daughter was born with a birth defect, and she can relate to mothers whose children have been born with microcephaly - a condition that affects infants born with Zika virus.

Brazilian health officials last October noticed a spike in cases of microcephaly in tandem with the Zika outbreak.

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff said that the virus has gone from a "distant nightmare" to a "real threat" against the Brazilian people. Officials said, Patient 0 had sex with Patient 1 after returning home from overseas. In addition, Johnson says she'll work with UW-Madison to get funding to watch for the particular mosquito that carries the virus.

How long does the virus live in sperm? He emphasized that the four new possible cases are all among travelers. The virus is spread primarily by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, whose habitat is concentrated in the tropics - giving temperate countries an apparent reprieve.

Thompson described the virus as being "contained" locally.

Since then, the virus has spread to more than 20 countries and territories, including parts of Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

The 2015 case and one of the 2016 cases were contracted in South America.

More cases are expected to appear in Ireland but most will not know they have the disease.

"On Feb. 11, USA technical experts will arrive in Brazil to hold a high level meeting where they will determine the first steps and timetable for developing this vaccine", Castro said at the headquarters of the regional Mercosur bloc in Uruguay's capital, Montevideo.

Unicef is working closely with governments to help keep communities safe from being infected by the Zika virus.