Colombia is the first country on the American continent to declare an end to the epidemic," Ruiz said. Brazil has confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in mothers. The epidemic of the Zika virus has officially ended in Colombia, the country's vice health minister said on Monday, 10 months after the mosquito-borne illness arrived in the Andean nation. Before the Zika outbreak, there were normally around 140 cases of microcephaly per year. The Zika outbreak is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the hardest hit so far.

Source: CBC News July 25, 2016 16:07 UTC