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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (March 5) closely monitoring the latest update on Zika virus of the World Health Organization (WHO), and again urged the public to adopt strict anti-mosquito measures during travel. Pregnant women and those planning pregnancy should consider deferring their trip to affected areas.
According to the WHO, since 2007 to date, 47 countries and areas have reported autochthonous Zika virus transmission or indirect evidence of viral circulation, and three with locally acquired infections probably through sexual contact in the absence of any known mosquito vectors. They are detailed as follows:
A. Reported/indication of autochthonous transmission and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and microcephaly (one)
Americas: Brazil;
B. Reported/indication of autochthonous transmission, GBS and no reports of microcephaly (seven)
Americas: Colombia, El Salvador, Venezuela, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Panama, Suriname
C. Reported/indication of autochthonous transmission and no reports of GBS or microcephaly (39)
Africa (two): Cape Verde, Gabon;
Americas (23): Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Saint-Martin, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, the US Virgin Islands;
Southeast Asia (three): Indonesia, Maldives, Thailand;
Western Pacific (11): American Samoa, Cambodia, Fiji, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Laos;
D. Locally acquired without vector-borne transmission (three)
Americas (one): the United States; and
Europe (two): France and Italy.
So far, Zika virus is not yet proven to be a cause of the increased incidence of microcephaly in Brazil. However, given the temporal and geographical associations between Zika virus infections and microcephaly, the repeated discovery of virus in fetal brain tissue, and in the absence of a compelling alternative hypothesis, a causal role for Zika virus is a strong possibility which is under active investigation.
Similarly, Zika virus is yet to be proved to be the cause of the increased GBS incidence in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Suriname or Venezuela, though strongly suspected given the recent findings in French Polynesia. Confounding factors include the contemporary circulation of dengue and chikungunya in the Americas, which are transmitted by the same species of mosquito. Further investigations are needed to identify the potential role of other factors known to be associated, or potentially associated, with GBS.
The latest WHO Zika update can be accessed at its website (www.who.int/emergencies/zika-virus/situation-report/en).
"The public should pay special attention to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission (affected areas) and observe our ongoing health advice and special notes during travel," a spokesman for the DH said.
To prevent Zika, in addition to general anti-mosquito measures, the DH drew the public's attention to the special notes below:
A. Travelling abroad
* If going to areas with ongoing Zika transmission (affected areas), travellers, especially those with immune disorders or severe chronic illnesses, should arrange consultation with a doctor at least six weeks before the trip, and take extra preventive measures to avoid mosquito bites;
* Those arriving from affected areas should apply insect repellent for 14 days upon arrival. If feeling unwell, e.g. having fever, they should seek medical advice as soon as possible, and provide travel details to a doctor;
B. Pregnant women and those preparing for pregnancy
* Pregnant women and those preparing for pregnancy should consider deferring their trip to affected areas. Those who must travel should seek medical advice from their doctor before the trip, adopt contraception if appropriate, strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites during the trip, and consult and reveal their travel history to their doctor if symptoms develop after the trip. Women preparing for pregnancy are advised to continue to adopt contraception for 28 days after returning from these areas;
C. Special notes for prevention of sexual transmission regarding potential adverse pregnancy outcomes
* Pregnant women should not have sex with male partners who have travelled to affected areas, or else condoms should be used throughout the pregnancy;
* Any male traveller returning from affected areas should:
(i) abstain from sex with his pregnant partner, or else use condoms throughout the pregnancy; and
(ii) use a condom for at least six months if his female partner may get pregnant.
The public may visit the pages below for more disease information and health advice:
* The CHP's Zika page (www.chp.gov.hk/en/view_content/43086.html);
* The Zika page of the DH's Travel Health Service (www.travelhealth.gov.hk/english/popup/popup_zika.html);
* The Outbound Travel Alert page of the Security Bureau (www.sb.gov.hk/eng/ota); and
* Anti-mosquito precautions for women (www.fhs.gov.hk/english/health_info/woman/30014.html).
Ends/Saturday, March 5, 2016
Issued at HKT 14:52
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