El Salvador Zika update
In the first two months of 2016, El Salvador appeared to be in the grips of the Zika virus and the country's minister of health went as far as to suggest that women not get pregnant for the next two years because of the risk of Zika-related birth defects.
Five months later, there has been a dramatic reduction in the incidence of new suspected Zika cases in El Salvador according to statistics from the ministry of health. The chart below shows weekly new suspected cases of Zika in El Salvador:
Certainly the Zika virus still poses a risk in the country. Mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and chikungunya are endemic in El Salvador. But the drop in incidence of Zika should provide comfort to people who were considering altering plans to travel to El Salvador as a result of the virus.
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