The Zika outbreak is causing U.S. citizens to refrain themselves from traveling to Latin America and the Caribbean countries.

A poll which was conducted by lpsos last Feb. 1-5, with 1,596 respondents, shows that more people in the U.S. are now getting aware of the Zika virus compared in the recent months. Of those people, 41 percent are saying they have cancelled their trip and no longer have plans to go to any Zika-affected countries anymore. 60 percent of the respondents said Zika virus makes them worried, while the other 18 percent makes them "very concerned" about it.

"It's contagious, and it's new. The virus, along with the reports of violence and drugs and tourist ransoms, is making it less and less attractive," said Toni Brockington, a 42-year-old respondent who lives in Fort Bragg, California, in an interview. Brockington used to have plans of visiting Mexico before she learned about the Zika outbreak.

Most of the people who have been greatly affected by the epidemic are women who are at the verge of starting their own family. One of those is Erica, a respondent who was bitten by a mosquito during one of her trips to U.S. Virgin Islands last January. She said: "I am actively trying to get pregnant with my husband, so I am a little bit concerned."

As reported by Reuters, cruise ships and airline operators have yet to comment about the effect of Zika outbreak in their business' revenues and daily transactions and operations.

Recently, the World Health Organization has declared the Zika outbreak as an international emergency. In accordance to it, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has urged women, especially those who are pregnant or planning to have a baby, to avoid traveling to countries which are greatly affected by the virus.

According to Mirror, though the Zika virus have recently been linked to birth defects such as microcephaly in babies, the Brazilian health experts are yet to confirm whether the Zika virus is directly related to microcephaly or not. Research and studies are still ongoing, investigating the possible link of Brazil's 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly to the Zika virus. Microcephaly is a health condition which can result to an abnormal growth of head and other developmental problems.

Meanwhile, there is still no vaccine for the Zika virus though there are some pharmaceutical companies around the globe which are already working on it. Experts said possible vaccine may still be years away.