London - Independent travel writer Simon Calder answers all questions Zika-related so tourists can get a better understanding of how to avoid the virus.
Q Is Zika like the Ebola outbreak?
A No - except for the degree of needless panic it has created. Ebola fever is difficult to catch but often fatal; Zika virus is easy to catch but, for most people, harmless. Only about one in five people who are infected with Zika develop symptoms, which include a fever, a rash and aching joints. But when the virus is caught by pregnant women, it may cause microcephaly. That is why the World Health Organisation deems Zika a “public health emergency of international concern”.
Q What precautions can travellers take?
A To avoid mosquito bites, wear long sleeves and long trousers tucked into socks, and use Deet-based insect repellent on exposed skin. At night, use insect screens/nets and air conditioning.
Q Can it be transmitted between people?
A Officials in Dallas believe a woman contracted Zika through sex with her husband, who had previously been infected abroad. Public Health England says: “If a female partner is at risk of getting pregnant, or is already pregnant, condom use is advised for a male traveller for 28 days after his return from an active Zika transmission area.” If symptoms suggest he has may have contracted Zika virus, the recommended duration is six months.
Q What are the options for people booked to fly to destinations afflicted with the disease?
A The Zika virus presents an unprecedented situation for the travel industry: a rapidly spreading disease that is mildly inconvenient for the average holidaymaker, but extremely serious for pregnant women. So airlines and holiday firms have been devising policies as they go along. Generally women who have a letter confirming their pregnancy can postpone, switch destination and in some cases get a refund.
Q Will it spread elsewhere?
A While the Aedes aegypti mosquito does not survive in cooler climates, the World Health Organisation warns that a close relative, the Aedes albopictus, can also transmit the virus. There are concerns that once these mosquitoes start waking up after their winter hibernation, Zika could start spreading in Europe. But at this stage, with much more to be learnt about the virus, it would be premature to panic about travel to the Mediterranean.
The Independent