It’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in the US, especially for families, but the Department of Foreign Affairs is advising pregnant women and women planning to start a family to postpone any ‘non-essential trips’ to Florida.
The advice comes after there were 14 confirmed cases of Zika found in Miami.
Zika is spread via mosquitoes and has been linked to microcephaly in babies, whereby they are born with abnormally small heads and suffering from brain development issues.
Speaking on Ireland's national radio station earlier, Dr Siobhan Grehan, director of nursing at the Tropical Medical Bureau, said they are issuing the same advice to people travelling to other places with confirmed cases of the virus: practice bite avoidance.
- Wear correct clothing: long sleeved T-shirts and light colours
- Use correct mosquito repellents such as Deet
For every five people that have it only one person will have symptoms (fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis, muscle pain and/or headache), and the WHO advise women don’t plan to conceive until eight weeks after they have been bitten.
For those who have already travelled to Zika-infected areas, there is a simple blood test that can be done to detect if it's in your bloodstream.
While it is true women should think carefully about going abroad, Dr Gahen says "while it is very difficult to control it is important to keep it in perspective"; the advice is only for pregnant women and those who are planning on conceiving soon.
"It is a cautionary note for people to avoid anything that would put you at risk; when it comes to babies we always err on the side of caution."
Pregnant women advised not to travel to #Florida over #Zika virus: https://t.co/JHSsw1tH8i
— Morning Ireland (@morningireland) August 2, 2016
