Public Health confirms presence of Zika in Dominican Republic (Update)

Santo Domingo.- Dominican health authorities reported 10 Zika virus infection cases, after the analysis of samples from several patients tested positive, El Nuevo Diario reported Saturday.

Symptoms include a mild fever, joint and muscle pain, headache, conjunctivitis and vomiting, and they may last for several days to about a week. There is no vaccine for Zika; the only way to avoid contracting the virus is to prevent mosquito bites.

Around 1.5 million people in Brazil have been infected in just eight months and 14 countries across South and Central America, including Haiti, have reported locally-acquired cases.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that pregnant women should avoid traveling to those countries where the virus has been detected.