CDC issues travel warning for 11 Southeast Asian countries

The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel advisory for Zika, including Thailand and Malaysia, has been issued yesterday

U.S. health officials have recently released an advisory urging for pregnant women to postpone all non-essential visits to Southeast Asia and the Maldives because of the high Zika infection risk in the areas.

The 11 countries included in the CDC travel warning are: Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor) and Vietnam.

“Pregnant women traveling to Southeast Asia could become infected with Zika virus. The level of this risk is unknown and likely lower than in areas where Zika virus is newly introduced and spreading widely”, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statement quotes.

The Zika virus has already spread to the Americas and parts of Asia. As Zika is endemic in Southeast Asia and locals have gained immunity to the viral infection, travelers are at high risk of developing the mosquito-borne disease. Even though the infection may be asymptomatic, about 20% of people develop clear Zika signs, such as fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes.

Zika infection during pregnancy is nevertheless the main concern of health officials, because it can cause serious brain defects in newborns, such as microcephaly and the neurological Guillain-Barre syndrome.

So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued travel advisories targeting pregnant women for over 60 countries and regions in the world, due to imminent Zika threat.