MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — Thirty-four people have been infected with the virus in Mexico, while three citizens of the country have been infected abroad, the health official told the Imagen radio broadcaster in an interview.
On Monday, media reported that the Mexican state of Quintana Roo and Guerrero’s Acapulco city had declared an epidemiological emergency after two cases of infection with the Zika virus have been reportedly confirmed in the neighboring Yucatan state.
The recent Zika outbreak originated in Brazil and spread across Latin America. Currently, Zika cases have been registered in 27 states across the globe, including in both Americas, the South Pacific and some European countries.
The Zika virus primarily affects monkeys and humans and is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. A causal relationship between the Zika virus and neurological disorders including microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with small heads, is strongly suspected, although it has not yet been confirmed.
The World Health Organization declared a global emergency on Monday due to the rapid spread of the virus.
