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The viral circulation in affected countries coincides with the summer holiday period in Europe and it is expected that Zika viraemic travellers will continue to return to the EU during the entire 2016 European mosquito season. 


This will create the possibility of onward mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus in receptive areas in Europe, however, no such cases have been reported to date.

ECDC, September 1, 2016 

 
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Aedes Mosquitoes are habituating in Greece , though no infection case has to date been reported by the Greek Epidemiological Surveillance System




WHO: Zika for Travelers

Based on available evidence, 

WHO has issued no general restrictions on travel or trade with countries

areas and/or territories

with Zika virus transmission.


However, WHO is advising pregnant women not to travel to areas with ongoing Zika virus oubreaks.


As a precautionary measure, some national governments may make

public health and travel recommendations to their own populations, based on their assessment of the available evidence and local risk factors.



 
UPDATE 
Summary of public health threats, CDTR week 33/2016

In light of the latest scientific and epidemiological developments, ECDC has updated its rapid risk assessment on the Zika virus disease epidemic.

The outbreak is unprecedented in terms of size and public health impact. The evolution of the Zika epidemic in the Americas and other world regions demands close monitoring as it has a direct impact on the risk of importation and possible local transmission in the European Union. 


  • The viral circulation in affected countries coincides with the summer holiday period in Europe and it is expected that Zika viraemic travellers will continue to return to the EU during the entire 2016 European mosquito season
  • This will create the possibility of onward mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus in receptive areas in Europe, however, no such cases have been reported to date.


A map and list of countries and territories with widespread and sporadic transmission during the past three months is available on the ECDC website.



Revealed by WHO, the areas of Europe where Zika is most likely to strike

Map shows the countries in Southern Europe most likely to be hit by Zika in July (pictured in red). Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey and the part of Russia around Krasnodar are the areas where the virus is most likely to thrive and spread. Reproduction number is the estimated growth rate of a Zika epidemic. At levels below 1 (shown in light yellow) the virus dies out, but at higher values it grows exponentially (shown in orange, red and brown)  On the map, WHO Risk Assessment Map for Summer 2015 Season
 

In Europe:1 265 travel-associated Zika virus infections

Zika virus infection in Europe Update

France reported 56% of the cases.

Since week 45/2015, 19 countries
 (Austria, 
Belgium, 
the Czech Republic, 
Denmark, 
Finland, 
France, 
Ireland, 
Italy, 
Luxembourg,
Malta,
the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK) 
have reported 1 265 travel-associated Zika virus infections through The European Surveillance System (TESSy). 
Over the same time period, six countries reported 69 Zika cases among pregnant women.


ZIKA  overseas
Since the last update to the rapid risk assessment of 8 July 2016, the outbreak has continued to evolve i
  • in Central America and the Caribbean and, notably, 
  • local mosquito-borne transmission has reached Florida, USA. 
  • Between 30 June and 17 August 2016, seven new countries and territories reported locally-acquired cases (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Guinea-Bissau and Federated States of Micronesia) and
  •  one new country reported non vector-borne Zika virus transmission (Spain). 

During the same period, three new countries (Honduras, Paraguay and Suriname) reported their first cases of microcephaly or central nervous system malformation associated with Zika virus infection and four new countries (Jamaica, Costa Rica, Grenada and Guatemala) notified cases of  Guillain-Barré Syndrome associated with Zika virus infection.


#Cancel4Zika, by Travel Insurance Special Category only



Having 

travel insurance could help if the policy covers the person for emergency medical, medical evacuation and trip interruption benefits, 

says Travel Insurance industry in the USA



But travel insurance providers are 

not considering the CDC warning a reason to cancel a trip to an affected country, he says. 

Only those travelers with Cancel for Any Reason options in their policies can cancel and recoup some of their money, Travel insurance enterprises' owners told the USA Today 



“For the most part, on most travel, we don’t see a lot of people purchasing the (Cancel for Any Reason) upgrade because it’s expensive and you don’t get your full money back,”
Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com.


The Zika outbreak highlights how being such a global and mobile society can lead to the spread of diseases—and concern about them


Zika and Sex



The predominant mode of transmission of Zika virus is
  • through the bites of infected mosquitoes,

but the virus can also be transmitted through 
  • sexual contact
 

​On 7 June 2016, WHO updated its Interim guidance on prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus, and in particular the advice to returning travellers.

Although the primary transmission route of Zika virus is via the Aedes mosquito, sexual transmission of Zika virus is possible and more common than previously assumed. As the current evidence base on Zika virus remains limited, WHO regularly reviews its guidance and updates the recommendations as new evidence emerges.

The latest version of the guidance updates the advice on preventive measures for travellers returning from Zika-affected areas summarised as follow:
  • “Couples or women planning a pregnancy who are returning from areas where transmission of Zika virus is known to occur, are strongly recommended to wait at least 8 weeks before trying to conceive to ensure that any possible Zika virus infection has cleared; and 6 months if the male partner was symptomatic.”
  • “Men and women returning from areas where transmission of Zika virus is known to occur should adopt safer sex practices or consider abstinence for at least 8 weeks upon return. 
  •  If before or during that period Zika virus symptoms (rash, fever, arthralgia, myalgia or conjunctivitis) occur, men should adopt safer sex practices or consider abstinence for at least 6 months”.

 
 

What ECDC does for ZIKA

The updated Rapid Risk Assessment on Zika of the ECDC by 12 July 2016.includes a revised presentation of the options for risk reduction and definition of terms in order to provide greater clarity for the range of different population groups. There have been no substantive changes to the options which cover:

  • Preventing mosquito-borne and sexual transmission
  • Advice to populations at risk and persons returning from affected areas
  • Information to healthcare providers in EU Member States
  • Safety of substances of human origin
  • Surveillance of imported cases and local transmission in continental Europe.

ECDC publishes an epidemiological update every Friday together with maps containing information on countries or territories which have reported confirmed autochthonous cases of Zika virus infection.