The Centre for Health Protection is closely monitoring the World Health Organisation's latest Zika update which states 53 countries and areas have reported or indicated transmission of the virus since 2007.
It also shows five countries have reported or indicated locally-acquired infections probably through sexual contact in the absence of known mosquito vectors.
Of the affected areas, Brazil, Panama and French Polynesia have reported or indicated autochthonous transmission and Guillain-Barré syndrome and microcephaly.
The places that register reports or have indication of autochthonous transmission and Guillain-Barré syndrome but no reports of microcephaly are Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Venezuela.
The countries and areas that have reported or have indication of autochthonous transmission and no reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome or microcephaly total 41, including two in Africa, 22 in the Americas, four in Southeast Asia and 13 in the Western Pacific.
The five countries that have record locally-acquired cases without vector-borne transmission are Argentina, the US, France, Italy and New Zealand.
The centre advises the public to adopt strict anti-mosquito measures during travel, while pregnant women and those planning pregnancy should consider deferring their trip to affected areas.
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