US Health Agency Adds 2 Island Nations to Zika Travel Warning List

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States has added Trinidad and Tobago and the Marshall Islands to the list of countries that warns potential travellers, and especially pregnant women, of risk of acquiring the Zika virus, the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in a statement.

"CDC is working with other public health officials to monitor for ongoing Zika virus‎ transmission," the statement said on Tuesday. "Today, CDC added the following destinations to the Zika virus travel notices: Trinidad and Tobago and the Marshall Islands."

The latest warning comes as the agency has added more than 30 countries to the list of countries in the Americas, Caribbean and the Pacific.

Earlier on Tuesday, the CDC announced that it was investigating 14 new reports of sexual transmission of the Zika virus, which included several pregnant women.

The Zika virus is known to be transmitted by mosquitos. The current outbreak originated in Brazil in 2015 and later spread across Latin America. At present, several countries including the United States are working to produce a vaccine for the Zika virus.