Recommendations to prevent Zika virus infections in travelers and people living abroad are listed by a location’s Zika geographic risk classification. First determine the risk category for your location and then review the specific recommendations for that risk category.
Background
- If you are pregnant or planning pregnancy, talk to your healthcare provider about your potential risk of Zika infection, the possible health effects of Zika virus infection on a baby, and ways to protect yourself from Zika.
- Zika virus can be spread through sex. The timeframes that biological males and biological females can pass the virus through sex are different because the virus can stay in semen longer than in other body fluids.
- Even if someone does not feel sick, people returning to the United States from an area with an active Zika Travel Health Notice or with current or past transmission should take steps to prevent mosquito bites for 3 weeks so they do not spread Zika virus to mosquitoes that could spread it to other people.
Determining the risk classification for a location
There are four Zika geographic risk classification categories.
- Geographic area with an active Zika Travel Health Notice: These areas are considered to have a current risk of Zika transmission. Zika Travel Health Notices provide up-to-date information on known Zika outbreaks that may be occurring across the globe.
- Country or territory with current or past Zika transmission These countries have a potential risk of Zika transmission, but CDC may not have accurate information on the current level of risk. As a result, detection and reporting of new outbreaks may be delayed.
- Country or territory known to have mosquito that spreads Zika, but no reported Zika cases: Because Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (the mosquitoes that most commonly spreads Zika) are present in these countries, Zika has the potential to be present, along with other mosquito-borne infections. Detection and reporting of cases and outbreaks may be delayed.
- Country or territory not known to have mosquito that spreads Zika: No Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (the mosquitoes that most commonly spreads Zika) have been reported in these countries. However, other Aedes species mosquitoes have been known to spread Zika, and these may be present.
To determine the risk classification of a geographic location, first visit CDC’s Travel Health Notice page to determine if there are any active Travel Health Notices for Zika. If a location has a Travel Health Notice then follow the recommendations for risk category 1. Note: There are currently no geographic areas with an active Zika Travel Health Notice.
If there are no Zika Travel Health Notices for a geographic area, then visit the Countries and Territories at Risk for Zika page to determine the risk category for the areas you plan to visit.
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