UNWTO urges countries not to restrict travel due to Zika virus
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The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has called on governments not to imposed travel restrictions following the outbreak of the Zika virus.
Another UN body, the World Health Organization (WHO), declared Zika a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” on 1 February 2016, following the recent outbreak which has started in Brazil and has spread across Latin America and the Caribbean.
But despite this, the WHO has said there should be no restrictions on travel – a call that has been backed by the UNWTO.
Instead, both organisations have urged governments to take a series of steps aimed at preventing the international spread of the virus. These include disinfecting aircraft and airports, and providing up-to-date advice to travellers visiting affected areas.
“Health and tourism authorities are working together to inform residents, tourists as well as the industry about the precautions to be taken and the tourism sector is working closely with health authorities to follow WHO prevention recommendations,” the UNWTO said in a statement. “UNWTO will continue to monitor the situation in close contact with WHO and the relevant tourism authorities.”
The BBC reports that Brazil, which has been worst affected by the virus, is investigating 3,670 suspected cases of the virus in babies, of which 404 cases have already been confirmed. Two Zika cases have been confirmed in Australia, in Sydney residents who recently returned from the Caribbean.
Zika was first identified in Africa in 1947 and several cases were recorded in French Polynesia in 2013 prior to the 2015 outbreak in Brazil.
The virus is transmitted to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes, but a case in the US this week suggests that Zika can also be transmitted through sexual contact.
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