Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Bahamas Added to List of Travel Notices for Zika

The Centers for Disease Control on Tuesday added the Bahamas to the list of destinations where local mosquito transmission of Zika has been confirmed.

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The Bahamas—an archipelago in the Atlantic off the coast of Florida—attract about 450,000 tourists annually.

The CDC recommends travelers “practice enhanced precautions” at destinations where Zika has been confirmed. Pregnant women should not travel to the Bahamas, according to the CDC, and women who are trying to get pregnant should talk to their doctors.

Zika can also be spread through sex, so partners of women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant should also follow precautions.

While most people who contract Zika virus do now even show the typically mild symptoms, the virus has more serious implications for unborn babies and can cause microcephaly. There are also much rarer Zika virus complications that can cause paralysis and death.

The Bahamas join dozens of other destinations, including most recently Miami Beach, on the CDC's travel notices.