Avoid Zika areas, WHO tells pregnant women

Geneva, February 12

Women who are pregnant should consider putting off travel to areas infected with the Zika virus as a precautionary measure, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday in new advice.

“Based on the latest evidence that Zika virus infection during pregnancy may be linked to microcephaly in newborns, WHO is issuing further precautionary travel advice to women who are pregnant and 

their sexual partners,” it said in a statement.

“Women who are pregnant should discuss their travel plans with their health care provider and consider delaying travel to any area where locally acquired Zika infection is occurring,” it added. 

Besides, the WHO said large-scale trials for Zika virus vaccines are at least 18 months away, while establishing a possible link between the virus and two more harmful conditions will likely only take weeks.

An estimated 15 companies or groups have begun work on a vaccine for the previously obscure virus which has now become a global concern, WHO’s deputy director for 

health systems and innovation Marie-Paule Kieny told journalists.

There are currently two candidates which appear most promising, including one vaccine being developed by the US National Institutes of Health and another from India-based Bharat Biotech, Kieny said. “In spite of this encouraging landscape, vaccines are at least 18 months away from large-scale trials,” she added. — Agencies