On February 17, 2016, the Taiwan Centers forDisease Control (Taiwan CDC) scaled up the travel notice level for Bonairein the 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.

On February 16, ECDC announced that local casesof Zika virus infection recently occurred in Bonaire, which is a municipality of the Netherlands. Taiwan CDC will continue to closely monitor the ongoingoutbreak. Thusfar, at least 37 countries, areas and/or territories worldwide, primarilyin Latin America and the Caribbean region, have reported local outbreaksof Zika virus infection. Taiwan CDC has issued a travel notice of Level 2: Alert for Zika virus for the aforementioned 37 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 issued a travel notice of Level 1: Watch for Zika virus forthese  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 the numbers of microcephaly and GBS cases in Taiwan and urges physicians to heighten vigilance for microcephaly cases.

In addition, pregnant womenare reminded to postpone their trips to areas affected by Zika virus. Travelersvisiting 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 the physician of their travel history. For more information, please visitthe Taiwan CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.tw(Open in a new window)">http://www.cdc.gov.tw or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline,1922 (or 0800-001922).