Tourism Authorities Issue Zika Warning

The provincial offices of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization have notified travel agencies to inform travelers of the potential risks of visiting Zika-hit countries, with some going as far as imposing bans on tours to those countries.

The warning comes a month after the Health Ministry instructed tour operators to ensure their clients take precautions. The advisory, which mentions Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, was issued on Sunday and a copy was sent to the provincial offices of Tour and Travel Agencies Association, ISNA reported.

The aforementioned countries are popular destinations among Iranians. However, the virus, which is affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, has been circulating in Asia for years. The lineage of the virus circulating in Asia is different to the one in the Americas, researchers say.  The level of immunity to the lineage of Zika in Asia remains unknown, according to the World Health Organization.