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According to global health officials, the Zika virus is spreading at a rapid pace in the Americas. They say that the virus could infect nearly 3 million to 4 million people. The virus is associated with several birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil. Researchers from different parts of the world are in race to develop vaccine for the Zika virus.

The World Health Organization says that, in the current outbreak, Zika cases were reported in 23 countries and territories in the Americas.

The most affected nation was Brazil. Other nations and territories affected due to the virus include Bolivia, Barbados, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Martinique, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Panama, Suriname, Saint Martin, Venezuela and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as per the PAHO.

The virus is transmitted to people through the mosquito bite of infected female Aedes mosquitoes. It is the same type of mosquito that spreads chikungunya, dengue and yellow fever. No treatment or vaccine is available for Zika infection.

According to PAHO, no evidence supports that Zika can cause death, while in few cases more serious complications were reported, in patients with pre-existing medical conditions. The virus has also been linked to microcephaly. Microcephaly is a condition in newborns. It is marked by abnormally small heads and brains, which have not developed properly. The virus is also linked with Guillain-Barre syndrome. The syndrome is a rare disorder in which the immune system of the body attacks part of the nervous system. Studies are being carried out by scientists, to find out the causal link between Zika and these two disorders.

-Sumana