The Zika virus continues to spread and is drastically affecting countries throughout Central and South America, as well as Mexico. At a press conference today, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that there is now a “public health emergency of international concern” over the clusters of microcephaly in Brazil and the suspected (although not scientifically proven) link to microcephaly and birth defects. It’s important to note that this is not a declaration for the actual Zika virus. WHO also stated that “there should be no restrictions on travel or trade with countries, areas and/or territories with Zika virus transmission.”
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Dr. Christina Leonard, Infectious Disease Specialist at Spectrum Health, thinks “we will continue to see a recommendation for pregnant women to hold off on travel to the affected areas for quite some time, certainly through the Spring.” She warns that “If you ARE pregnant, you really shouldn’t be going abroad [to affected areas] unless it’s absolutely necessary. Lastly, if you are TRYING to become pregnant, it’s probably safest to hit the pause button for the duration of your trip and for two weeks after you get back.” With no vaccine or medication available as a cure Leonard says “the possibility of development of both does exist. Unfortunately, both of these things will take a long time, perhaps years, and it’s not clear that Zika will still be an issue that far down the road.”
Airlines and cruise lines are recognizing the virus’s threat and severity and some providers are offering refunds or waived cancelation fees for pre-booked travel. See below for a list of companies offering compensation related to Zika.
Editor’s Note: For up-to-date information, please check the CDC and WHO websites regularly, and directly contact airlines, hotels, cruise lines, and travel agents you have booked with if you are looking to rebook or get a refund or credit for pre-booked travel to the affected areas. We will update this article with more information as it becomes available.
Airlines Lufthansa: Offering rebooking free of charge to medically certified pregnant women and companions to affected areas through March 31 when booked before January 28, as reported to NBC News. American: Offering refunds to pregnant women and companions to affected areas with note from doctor as per their website. LATAM, Avianca & Gol: Offering refunds or itinerary changes for pregnant women with travel booked to affected areas as reported to Reuters. United: Offering refunds to all customers or option of postponing with itineraries to affected areas as per their website. Delta: Issued an advisory allowing changes to destinations and dates to be made to
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