Pregnant Women Visiting Bangkok Have Zika Infection Risk

Thailand is a geographically diverse country, a little smaller than Texas, and a trendy destination for millions of tourists.

As New Year's Eve 2023 approaches, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently stated transmission of the Zika virus is a health risk in Thailand.

And the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health confirmed it is aware of the recent Zika outbreaks in Thailand.

According to Thailand's Bureau of Epidemiology, 742 Zika cases have been recorded in 2023, which is much higher than in the past three years.

Among the recent Zika cases, 160 were recorded in Bangkok, which has about 11 million residents.

Given the Zika cases in Thailand this year, the CHP specifically reminded members of the public, especially pregnant women and women preparing for pregnancy, that they must adopt necessary precautions against mosquito-borne diseases.

Furthermore, the U.S. Embassy in Thailand recently informed U.S. citizens that the CDC says that if you decide to travel, prevent mosquito bites and sexual exposure to Zika during and after travel, and wait two months after returning before becoming pregnant.

From a prevention perspective, there are no approved Zika vaccines as of December 30, 2023. However, several vaccine candidates are conducting clinical research.