Mother Daniele Santos holds her baby Juan Pedro, who has microcephaly, on May 30, 2016 in Recife, Brazil. (Photo : Getty Images/Mario Tama)
The travel industry is concerned as businesses and vacationers are abandoning their travel plans in view of the Zika crisis. Concerns over the spread of the virus have led a number of athletes and TV journalists have already backed out of the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Last week, golfer Jason Day declared that he would not take part in the Olympic Games when they open next month. Day is not a solitary example, as several others like Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Shane Lowry have already announced they will not play in Brazil, USA Today reported.
Today co-host Savannah Guthrie also said early last month that she too would not visit Brazil to cover the Olympics as she is expecting her second child. Guthrie is worried about the association of Zika virus with miscarriages and birth defects.
While the Zika crisis seems to have hit Brazil the hardest, a report released by the World Health Organization confirmed that this mosquito-borne virus affected people in no less than 61 countries and territories. Warning of increasing possibility of some global travelers coming in contact to the virus, the WHO has published information for travelers visiting countries affected by Zika.
Although the WHO has not issued any restrictions for travel to the Zika-affected regions, many businesses are worried about how to protect their employees scheduled to visit the affected areas. However, in February, the organization confirmed that the spread of Zika has resulted in a worldwide emergency.
What has become challenging for the businesses as well as leisure travelers is that the virus has now spread to so many places including the United States that it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid Zika, Allianz Global Assistance, USA, which offers travel and insurance assistance to businesses and other clients, spokesman Daniel Durazo told the media outlet. He suggested that people ought to become aware of the potential risks and make plans accordingly.
People infected by Zika may develop a variety of symptoms like mild rash, fever and joint aches. This mosquito-borne virus has been associated to microcephaly, a condition wherein an infant has an unusually small head and may suffer from seizure, vision problems and even intellectual disability throughout their life. Worse still, Zika infection may also lead to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition that may result in paralysis and even death.
Meanwhile, the WHO has recommended that pregnant women should avoid visiting areas affected by outbreaks. Aside from pregnant women or those who think they may be pregnant, Zika is obviously a deep concern for all travelers. This is primarily because when an individual is in a locality having poor sanitation or stagnant water, which is not very unusual all over Latin America, there is a risk of being infected by this particular mosquito species.
Nevertheless, businesses have not cancelled visits to the affected areas. Most travel managers still do not consider it to be a major issue,'' Business Travel Coalition representative Kevin Mitchell told the publication. On the other hand, awareness has increased and people are taking precaution. Most businesses are also being flexible by allowing employees to avoid traveling to the worst-hit areas.
Watch how Zika virus is affecting Americans' travel plans below:
