In El Salvador, the number of new Zika cases has fallen from more than 1,000 a week in early January to fewer than 100 per week in March. In Honduras, it's fallen from more than 2,000 cases weekly in early February to fewer than 700 a week.
A new report provides new information about how the Zika virus acts to infect a fetus and indicates that Zika may remain in the blood longer than thought.
Costa Rica's ambassador to the U.S. touted this week his country's success in keeping the mosquito-borne Zika virus in check, but warned of vulnerabilities, including migration and the coming rainy season.
The first reported cases of Zika virus in Costa Rica do not appear to have negatively affected reservations at hotels in Guanacaste province for Holy Week.
The study was done in the United States, where dengue does not circulate in the population. This helped researchers identify the vaccine's effectiveness in people who had not been previously exposed to any strain of dengue.
Laboratory tests found that the Zika virus targeted key cells involved in brain development and then destroyed or disabled them, scientists said Friday.
U.S. health authorities Friday described the cases of nine pregnant women who contracted the Zika virus while traveling, two of whom chose abortion and one who gave birth to a baby with microcephaly.
The increase in cases of mosquito-borne diseases around the country prompted officials of the Public Health Ministry and the National Emergency Commission on Thursday evening to declare a state of emergency for 31 cantons at all seven provinces.
World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan said part of the challenge in fighting the virus is that it is so "mysterious." Even the link to microcephaly remains not fully proven.
