The untreatable Zika virus just reached another island nation — here's a map of all the places it has spread so far
Another Caribbean island has been added to the Zika travel advisory list.
On Wednesday, April 13, the CDC added Saint Lucia to the list of countries and territories with local transmission of the virus.
The virus, transmitted mainly via mosquitoes, has been identified in the US but only in people who've recently traveled to Zika hot spots. Once infected with Zika, only about 20% of people ever show symptoms, which most commonly include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. There is no vaccine or treatment available for the virus. One reason Zika is troubling is because it is a cause of birth defects including microcephaly (a condition where the baby's head is abnormally small) in babies whose mothers have had Zika as well as its connection to a neurological condition called Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
Here are all 42 countries and territories where local transmission of the virus has been reported as of Wednesday, April 13:
(Dragan Radovanovic/Business Insider)
To show just how rapidly how this virus had gained a foothold in the Americas, we've also created a GIF displaying all the places the Zika virus has spread through local transmission since the start of the outbreak:
NOW WATCH: An untreatable virus that's linked to birth defects is now affecting the US
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