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After 14 people in Florida were infected with local transmission of the Zika virus in Florida, the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a travel warning near downtown Miami for pregnant women and their partners. This comes as athletes and spectators descend on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, one of the epicenters of the Zika outbreak, for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
With so much discussion and concerns over the Zika virus, we want to share recommendations and resources from the World Health Organization (WHO), which has been closely working with governments and health experts to respond to the virus:
- All travelers visiting Zika affected countries should practice safe sex (use of condoms) and try to prevent mosquitos’ bites (cover as much of the body as possible, use insect repellant, screens, nets, etc.) during their travels.
- Pregnant women should avoid traveling to affected areas.
- Women living in affected areas should consider delaying pregnancies.
- Couples planning a pregnancy who are returning from areas where transmission of Zika virus is known to occur, are strongly recommended to wait at least eight weeks before trying to conceive to ensure that any possible Zika virus infection has cleared.
- According to the latest WHO Zika situation report, 64 countries have reported evidence of mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission since 2015.
- Here are updated questions and answers from WHO on the Zika virus.
- WHO issued the following advice for people traveling to the Olympics.
You can also download the WHO Zika app to stay up-to-date on news and developments.