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More countries confirm discovery of Zika virus cases

Countries including South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago have confirmed their first cases of Zika virus.

More than 5,000 pregnant women in Colombia have contracted the virus, its government has said.

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More than 3,000 pregnant Colombian women have zika

An Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which transmit the virus Credit: PA

More than 3,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the Zika virus, the country's president said.

The mosquito-borne disease is continuing its rapid spread across the Americas.

President Juan Manuel Santos also projected there could be up to 600,000 infections in 2016.

The virus has been linked to the microcephaly in babies, which prevents fetus' brains from developing properly.

There is no vaccine or treatment.

There are so far no recorded cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in Colombia, Santos said.

There are 25,645 people infected with the disease in Colombia, Santos said during a TV broadcast with health officials, among them 3,177 pregnant women.

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