Two Confirmed Cases of Zika Virus in B.C.

Update (2:19 p.m.): The Canadian Blood Services has confirmed they will be "revising their eligibility criteria for donors to mitigate the risk of the Zika virus entering Canadian blood supply."

A deferral period has been issued Thursday for blood, cord blood and stem cell donors who have recently travelled to locations outside of Canada, the United States and Europe.

Two cases of Zika have been confirmed from travellers returning to B.C.

One traveller, returning from El Salvador, and a second returning from Columbia have been confirmed by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control to be infected with the virus.

The Zika virus is an infection which is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito.

The Zika virus was reported for the first time in a number of countries in Central and South America, as well as Mexico, in 2015. There have no reported cases of locally acquired Zika virus in Canada, the only cases have been travel-related.

Symptoms of Zika can include fever, headache, pink eye, and rashes.

While the illness is typically mild and lasts only a few days, pregnant women or women considering becoming pregnant are being warned about travelling to places where there has been an outbreak in the Zika virus. The virus could be possibly linked to microcephaly, a birth defect in children that could be caused by a mother being infected with Zika.

Pregnant women or women considering becoming pregnant are being advised to talk to their healthcare professionals before travelling to countries currently affected by the Zika virus.

The World Health Organization is advising against travel to places that are currently affected by the Zika outbreak. Countries include Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, US Virgin Islands, Venezuela.

More information on the Zika virus can be found through the BC Centre for Disease Control.

There is currently no treatment or vaccine for the Zika virus infection. Tips on how travellers can protect themselves can be found from the Government of Canada Travel Health and Safety information page.