MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Canadian doctors have registered 20 confirmed Zika virus cases, including one of a pregnant woman, the country’s chief public health officer announced.
"We are aware of one [pregnant woman] in Canada at this time. There may be more but we're not aware of that," Dr. Gregory Taylor told the standing committee on health Monday.
The majority of those individuals had either no symptoms at all or very mild ones, he added.
The Zika virus affects primarily monkeys and humans and is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. Transmission through blood transfusions and sexual intercourse has also been reported.
Zika does not cause serious complications in adults, but it can lead to severe brain defects in newborns.
At present, there is no vaccine available to treat the Zika virus. Mosquito control remains crucial to prevent its spread.
The current Zika outbreak started in Brazil in the spring of 2015. It has since spread across Latin America, with cases having been reported in several European countries and the United States.
