THE US government on Thursday issued Zika virus-related special travel considerations for Southeast Asia, recommending pregnant women should consider postponing nonessential travel to 11 countries in this region.
The countries included in these considerations are Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, the Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement that people could face an “uncertain risk” of Zika virus infection when they travel to these countries.
The US CDC said that Zika virus has been present in areas of Southeast Asia for many years and that several countries have reported occasional cases or small outbreaks.
“Recent variations in the number of cases reported in the area have been observed. Zika virus is considered endemic in some of these countries, and many people who live there are likely immune,” it said.
“But US travelers to areas where Zika is endemic may not be immune to the virus and infections have occurred in travelers to Southeast Asia.”
It noted that the level of risk for Zika virus infection in these countries is unknown, but it is likely lower, but not zero, than in areas where Zika is newly introduced and spreading widely.
“However, because Zika virus infection during pregnancy causes severe birth defects, including microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities, pregnant women should talk to their health care provider and consider postponing nonessential travel to Southeast Asia,” the US agency said.
Zika virus testing, it said, should be offered to pregnant women and considered for other people who have symptoms of Zika virus disease if they have recently traveled to Southeast Asia.
Previously, the CDC has issued a travel warning against the Southeast Asian nation of Singapore, where more than 300 cases of locally transmitted Zika have been reported. The Aug. 30 travel alert urged pregnant women to avoid traveling to Singapore, not just consider postponing nonessential travel.
Zika is spread mostly by the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito and it can also be spread sexually. Currently, there is no vaccine or medicine for Zika virus. The best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to prevent mosquito bites.
In Thailand, health authorities on Friday said microcephaly in two babies was caused by the Zika virus, in what is believed to be the first confirmed case in Southeast Asia of a link between the sickness and the birth defect.
“Two of the three infants [tested] had microcephaly due to the Zika virus,” Wicharn Pawan, a disease control official at the Health Ministry said.
The World Health Organization this week said any confirmed cases in Thailand would be the first identified in Southeast Asia.
Zika causes only mild symptoms in most, including fever, sore eyes and a rash. But pregnant women with the virus risk giving birth to babies with microcephaly—a deformation that leads to abnormally small brains and heads.
While Zika has been present in the region for years, there has been an uptick in the number of recorded cases in Southeast Asia in recent months.
The WHO has noted, however, that the rise in confirmed cases also comes in conjunction with heightened surveillance.
Thai authorities have been monitoring 36 pregnant women infected with the virus.
Earlier this week Thai doctors cleared two other babies with the condition of a link to Zika.
Virologist Praset Thongcharoen said “4.3 infants per 100,000,” are born with microcephaly in Thailand, twice the global average.
The condition can also be caused by Down syndrome and other infections during pregnancy such as German measles and chickenpox.
Scientists warned this month that the world should prepare for a “global epidemic” of microcephaly as the virus takes root in new countries.
Tourism has buttressed Thailand’s otherwise stagnant economy and authorities have been eager to reassure locals and visitors that the country is not experiencing a Zika epidemic.
Friday’s news could deliver a blow to Thailand’s “teflon” reputation as a tourist haven.
The industry has swiftly bounced back in recent years from coups, violent street protests and bomb attacks.
The news came just one day before the start of “Golden Week,” an annual Chinese holiday that sees a flood of tourists descend on neighboring Thailand.
The kingdom is hoping to receive 33-million visitors this year, boosted by surging numbers of visitors from China.