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Local transmission of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas was first confirmed in February, 2014, on Easter Island. In May, 2015, 16 patients from the Brazilian states of Bahia and Rio Grande do Norte were found to be ZIKV-positive. 22 countries and territories have subsequently identified autochthonous transmission within the region (figure). Until recently, ZIKV infection was only associated with mild symptoms (headache, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis) but a possible link between ZIKV infection during pregnancy and subsequent birth defects (most notably microcephaly) was identified in November, 2015. 1 Approaching 4000 cases of suspected ZIKV-related microcephaly have arisen in Brazil alone where initial figures suggest between 440 000 and 1· 3 million people have been infected so far. 2 Concern in the region is escalating, with public health authorities in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Jamaica all …