The Florida Department of Health (Florida Health) has recently identified locally acquired Zia cases in Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Due to the potential risk of Zika transmission in Pinellas and Palm Beach counties, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) thus raised the travel notice level for the two counties to Level 2: Alert for Zika virus. So far, Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 2: Alert for Zika virus to 4 counties in Florida, including Broward, Miami-Dade, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Pregnant women and women planning pregnancy are advised to postpone their trips to areas where Zika virus is active, travelers visiting areas with ongoing Zika transmission are advised to avoid mosquito bites, and people returning from Zika-affected areas are advised to follow the “2226 Principle”.

Since non-travel related Zika cases have been reported in Florida beginning the end of July 2016, as of August 24, 2016 a total of 43 locally acquired Zika cases have been reported in the state.　According to Florida Health’s investigation, Wynwood, and Miami Beach remain the only two places in Florida identified as sites of active Zika transmission. Further, only sporadic locally acquired cases of Zika infection have been reported in Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Other places in Florida frequented by Taiwanese travelers include West Palm Beach, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tampa Bay. As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) assessed that Florida is in the midst of mosquito season, more Zika infections are expected to occur in the coming months.

Although the disease is usually mild in adults, there have been reports of congenital microcephaly and even deaths in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant. Taiwan CDC advises pregnant women and women planning pregnancy to postpone all unnecessary travels to Zika-affected areas. In addition, travelers are advised to follow the “2226 Principle” after leaving the affected areas to prevent Zika transmission, which specifies that female travelers are urged to postpone pregnancy 2 months after their return regardless whether they develop suspected Zika symptoms, and male travelers, if they do not develop suspected Zika symptoms, are urged to avoid sex or use condoms correctly for 2 months after their return from an affected-area, and if they develop suspected Zika symptoms, they are urged to avoid sex or use condoms correctly for 6 months after their return.　　

Thus far, at least 67 countries, areas and/or territories worldwide, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean region, have reported local outbreaks of Zika virus infection. Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 2: Alert for Zika virus for 57 countries and territories with ongoing outbreaks or possible local transmission of Zika virus, including 4 countries in Asia: Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.　For more information, please visit the Taiwan CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922 (or 0800-001922).