On February 18, 2016, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) scaled up the travel notice level for Aruba inthe Caribbean to Level 2: Alert for Zika virus based on the latest updates on recent local transmission of Zika virus provided by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Pregnant women are advised to postpone their trips to areas where Zika virus is active, travelers are advised to avoid mosquito bites, and people returning from Zika-affected areas areadvised to use condoms when having sex for at least 28 days to prevent Zika transmission.

Aruba is a Dutch Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela and nearby Boanire. Taiwan CDC will continue to closely monitor the ongoing outbreak. Thus far, at least 38 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 the aforementioned 38 countries and territories. Although sporadic cases have been reported in 5 countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Gabon in Africa, no direct evidence has shown local transmission has occurred in any of the 5 countries. Taiwan CDC has issueda travel notice of Level 1: Watch for Zika virus for these 5 countries. 

Zika virus is transmitted by the sametype of mosquitoes that transmit dengue virus, Aedes mosquitoes, including Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Typical symptoms include fever accompanied by a maculopapular rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis. Other symptoms include headache, musclepain and pain behind the eyes. Although the disease is usually mild, there havebeen reports of congenital microcephaly and even deaths in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant. Hence, Taiwan CDC will continue to closely monitor thenumbers of microcephaly and GBS cases in Taiwan and urges physicians to heighten vigilance for microcephaly cases.

In addition, pregnant women are reminded to postpone their trips to areas affected by Zika virus. Travelers visiting affected areas are urged to take precautions against mosquitobites such as wearing light-colored clothing, long sleeves and long pants,applying officially approved mosquito repellent to exposed parts of the body,staying at accommodations installed with window screens, screen doors or airconditioners. Further, Taiwan CDC urges travelers returning from affected areasto proactively contact the quarantine officer at the fever screening station atthe airport when suspected symptoms develop. If symptoms develop within two  weeks of their return, please seek immediate medical attention and inform thephysician of their travel history. For more information, please visitthe Taiwan CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline,1922 (or 0800-001922).