Zika warning for Aussies travelling to Bali

The Zika virus has been a hot topic in regards to the Rio Olympics, with some suggesting the games be postponed or moved due to an outbreak of the mosquito borne disease. However, the latest warning has hit a lot closer to home, with The Department Of Foreign Affairs urging Aussies travelling to Indonesia to exercise a “high degree of caution.”

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The tourist mecca of Bali has been listed as a Zika Virus hotspot, with the department warning: "given the possibility that Zika virus can cause severe malformations in unborn babies, and taking a very cautious approach, pregnant women should discuss any travel plans with the travel doctor and consider postponing travel to Indonesia."

The Australia government has managed to contain a Zika outbreak on home soil, and despite the warning, Travel Doctors’ medical director, Jennifer Sisson, told NT News that while the warning is serious, there isn’t an “actual outbreak” in Indonesia.

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"Sporadic transmission means from time to time there is a case but it's certainly not an outbreak like Brazil," she said.

What is the Zika Virus?

Although Zika has been around since 1947 the virus has been prevalent in the media recent due to an outbreak. The first outbreak was in Micronesia in 2007 and consequently the French Polynesia also received an outbreak that was co-circulating with Dengue, according to WHO.

The virus has since arrived in the Americas where it’s “spreading explosively” and is affecting Australia directly after being discovered in Aussie travellers returning from South America.

Professor Dwyer, a virologist from Sydney’s Westmead Hospital, told ABC that there’s no evidence the virus has spread to Australia.

"The main mosquito carriers of the virus are not present to any great degree in Australia, except perhaps up in the top end of Queensland," he said.

"But we're not entirely sure yet whether some of the Australian mosquitoes could carry Zika virus."

Zika and Pregnancy

The biggest concern in regards to Zika is the link between the virus and birth defects. Pregnant women who contract the virus have a high chance of giving birth to a baby with a condition called microcephaly, where babies are born with unusually small heads.

The condition is a result of the brain developing abnormally in the womb and often occurs in combination with other major birth defects.

The problems associated with Microcephaly directly include seizures, developmental milestones (speech, sitting, standing and walking), intellectual disability, problems with moment and balance, hearing loss and vision problems.

While no cases have yet been reported in Australia, there have been six abnormalities in the US in regards to Zika – three babies have been born with birth defects and another three have died through birth. There is currently 234 pregnant women in the US confirmed to have Zika Virus, which is highly worr not have a cure.