Zika virus (ZIKV) incidence and trends
Since last update (3 March 2016), no additional countries/territories have reported autochthonous (locally acquired) confirmed cases of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in the Region of the Americas. Thirty-one countries/territories in the Americas have confirmed autochthonous cases of ZIKV infection (Figure 1).
Available data suggests that some countries (Venezuela and Panama) are experiencing an increase in ZIKV reports whereas others (El Salvador and Honduras) are showing a decreasing trend (Figure 2). Nevertheless, as the geographical range of the virus expands to new areas, the overall epidemic appears to be increasing in the Region of the Americas.
On 9 March, the Ministry of Health of Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) provided an epidemiological update of ZIKV in the country. Between EW 41 of 2015 and EW 6 of 2016, 23 federal entities of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela reported a total of 16,942 suspected Zika cases. Of the 801 samples tested for ZIKV by RT-PCR, 352 (44%) were positive. Of the total of suspected Zika cases, 941 are pregnant women (9.4%). From EW 1 to EW 6 of 2016, a total of 226 samples of pregnant women with suspected Zika virus infection were tested by RT-PCR for ZIKV, of which 153 (67.7%) were positive.
