Zika virus alert for Myanmar upgraded
UK travel health authorities have upgraded the Zika virus alert for Myanmar to ‘moderate’.
It has been advised to those who are pregnant or planning pregnancy that the greatest likelihood of acquiring Zika virus infection is in a country with high or moderate risk. However, the individual risk of infection is likely to be lower, especially if mosquito bite avoidance measures are followed.
Symptoms of Zika include a rash, pain in the joints, and conjunctivitis lasting four to seven days. Like dengue and chikungunya, the Zika virus is spread by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite by day and are found in urban settings.
Transmission of Zika virus has also occurred during pregnancy, breastfeeding, sexually and through blood or blood products.
Travellers are advised to take particular care to avoid being bitten just after sunrise and just before sunset, the main feeding time for Aedes mosquitoes. All travellers, but particularly pregnant women or those planning pregnancy, are advised to seek medical advice before travel to Zika-affected areas.