​As staff and students will be aware, there is an ongoing outbreak of the zika virus centred in Brazil, but also in many other countries in Central and South America, the Caribbean and South East Asia.

An emergency committee convened by the Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has agreed that a causal relationship between zika infection during pregnancy and microcephaly is strongly suspected, though not scientifically proven.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is advising that travellers who are pregnant should postpone all non-essential travel to an area where active zika virus transmission is being reported. It is advisable for all travellers (male or female) to take scrupulous mosquito avoidance.

Further guidance and information on zika is available here.

Please remember that for every overseas trip, a travel risk assessment form should be completed by the traveller and approved by their line manager.

Should you have any further questions, please contact Gillian Ingram (Governance Officer, Risk & Governance).