Zika virus update
According to new reports from International SOS, the Zika virus is not only present in parts of South and Central America. There have been sporadic human cases of Zika virus reported in the population or travelers in a number of countries / territories in Asia and the Pacific since 2013. Easter Island, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vanuatu may have Zika virus in the mosquito population, which may occasionally infect people. There appears to be no ongoing transmission at present, although the situation may change as testing and surveillance is increased.
The World Health Organization advised that the association between Zika virus and the birth defect “microcephaly” and “other neurological abnormalities” “constitutes an extraordinary event” and declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
Zika is a viral infection spread by mosquitoes. An increasing number of countries in South and Central America are now reporting cases and outbreaks of the Zika fever. It is also observed a continued increase of fetal brain damage (microencephali) in several regions where the virus is spreading. The World Health Organization and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health issued on March 8 a new and extensive travel advise for pregnant women stating that they should not travel to areas of ongoing Zika virus outbreaks.