While experts say it is just a matter of time before the Zika virus enters Dominican territory, the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) is still excluding the DR from the list of 14 countries where it has evidence of cases of the virus, namely Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Suriname and Venezuela. The virus is spread by the same Aedes mosquito species that transmits dengue fever and chikungunya.
According to the CDC, the most common symptoms of the Zika disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon.
Studies are in process, but initial research in Brazil and Hawaii (USA) suggests that the virus could cause microcephaly in babies if the mother is bitten during the first three months of gestation. Travelers who are or may become pregnant are advised to take strict measures to prevent being bitten by mosquitoes.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/17/health/hawaii-zika-baby-microcephaly/
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html/
