Brazil declares end of Zika state of emergency but UK urges caution
'Cases of the Zika virus are now down by 95 per cent in comparison to 2016'
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Your support makes all the difference.The Brazilian government may have declared the end of the state of emergency related to the Zika virus, but UK health authorities still warn travellers of a “high risk of Zika virus transmission”.
Zika is a mosquito-borne virus whose symptoms are similar to dengue fever, including headaches and aching joints. Only one in four infected people develops symptoms of the disease, which is rarely life-threatening. There is no vaccination or medication to prevent Zika infection.
Crucially, though, if pregnant women contract the virus, it can in some cases be passed to the foetus and cause microcephaly: a baby born with an unusually small head, whose brain has not fully developed.
In response to the outbreak which took hold in the southern summer of 2015-16, Brazil launched a mosquito eradication campaign. The health ministry claims it has reduced cases of the Zika virus dramatically.
Tony Mason, chief executive of the Latin American Travel Association, said: “The Brazilian government had confirmed that cases of the Zika virus are now down by 95 per cent in comparison to 2016. This refers specifically to the first 100 days of the year which corresponds to the hottest period of the year in Brazil when the mosquito population is at its highest.”
Mr Mason said: “We are confident to recommend Brazil as a travel destination and we hope that this lifting of the emergency status will help travellers and the travel industry feel reassured when booking trips to the country.”
But the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) says: “Pregnant women are advised to postpone non-essential travel until after pregnancy.”
The World Health Organization still classifies Brazil as an “Area with new introduction or re-introduction with ongoing transmission”. Many Caribbean islands, as well as Mexico and the Maldives, have the same “Category 1” classification.
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