The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has issued an alert for pregnant women to postpone travel to 14 countries and territories in the Americas where the Zika virus is circulating.
The U.S. public health agency also recommended women trying to become pregnant to consult a health-care provider before traveling to affected countries.
In a release late Friday, the CDC recommended that pregnant women take steps to prevent mosquito bites during trips if they choose to travel.
The CDC issued its alert following test results from its labs that provided evidence of a link between the mosquito-borne virus and the rising number of cases of microcephaly, a serious condition in which babies are born with undersized brains and skulls.
The 14 countries and territories include Brazil, where more than 3,500 cases of microcephaly have been reported, as well as Mexico, Haiti, Barbados, Guyana, Martinique and Puerto Rico.
Brazil’s health ministry has reported 46 infant deaths.
Officials believe that pregnant women who are bitten by mosquitoes infected with Zika are transmitting it to their foetuses.
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