Zika travel warnings hit Myanmar as WHO calls for increased prevention
Zika travel warnings hit Myanmar as WHO calls for increased prevention
Myanmar Times, 03 Oct 2016
URL: http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/22852-zika-travel-warnings-hit-myanmar-as-who-calls-for-increased-prevention.html
Amid these warnings, the World Health Organisation called on Myanmar to take “stronger measures” against the virus, especially as Thailand confirmed over the weekend two cases of Zika-related microcephaly in newborns. These are believed to be the first confirmed cases linking the sickness to the birth defect in Southeast Asia.
On September 29, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended pregnant women reconsider travel to Myanmar along with 10 other Southeast Asian nations.
Although there are yet to be publicised Zika cases here, a CDCP announcement said there had been “recent variations in the number of cases reported in the area” and that the exact risk in Myanmar remained “uncertain”.
A WHO statement said the general population, and especially pregnant women, should take precautions to limit mosquito-human contact such as “wearing long-sleeved, light colored clothing; using mosquito repellant; sleeping under a bed net; and fitting windows and doors with screens wherever possible”.
As the Zika virus can also be transmitted sexually, the WHO advised that “pregnant women’s sexual partners living in or returning from areas with Zika virus outbreaks should ensure safer sex or abstain from sex for the duration of their partner’s pregnancy”.
On September 29, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended pregnant women reconsider travel to Myanmar along with 10 other Southeast Asian nations.
Although there are yet to be publicised Zika cases here, a CDCP announcement said there had been “recent variations in the number of cases reported in the area” and that the exact risk in Myanmar remained “uncertain”.
A WHO statement said the general population, and especially pregnant women, should take precautions to limit mosquito-human contact such as “wearing long-sleeved, light colored clothing; using mosquito repellant; sleeping under a bed net; and fitting windows and doors with screens wherever possible”.
As the Zika virus can also be transmitted sexually, the WHO advised that “pregnant women’s sexual partners living in or returning from areas with Zika virus outbreaks should ensure safer sex or abstain from sex for the duration of their partner’s pregnancy”.