--- description: The CDC may warn pregnant women about traveling to countries with Zika virus title: U.S. May Warn Pregnant Women About Traveling to Countries With Zika Virus image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8a9dee9f29564ce/6988792b0a4a22267f9c7e8d/mos.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Infectious Disease](/tag/infectious-disease/) ## Infectious Disease Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # U.S. May Warn Pregnant Women About Traveling to Countries With Zika Virus by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 14, 2016 4:30 PM CUT  Aedes aegypti Aedes aegyptiGetty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 14, 2016 4:30 PM CUT American health officials are [considering](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/health/zika-virus-cdc-travel-warning-brazil-caribbean.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share "undefined") whether to warn pregnant women in the U.S. about traveling to countries [currently dealing with the Zika virus](http://time.com/4176167/zika-virus-what-to-know/ "undefined")—a mosquitoes-borne [virus](http://time.com/4177122/mosquitoes-diseases-zika-virus/ "undefined") that’s been linked to birth defects in some countries, such as Brazil. The New York _Times_ reports that experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are debating the warning, which would be the first time the agency advises pregnant women to avoid a certain region, and could have a big impact on tourism. “We can’t make these decisions in a vacuum,” CDC spokesman Thomas Skinner [told the _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/health/zika-virus-cdc-travel-warning-brazil-caribbean.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share "undefined"). “We’re consulting with other experts outside.” Countries in Latin American and Caribbean regions have experienced outbreaks of the Zika virus, and in January, a case was confirmed in Houston. The Times reports that the CDC may make its final announcement on the matter on Thursday or Friday. \[[_NYT_](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/14/health/zika-virus-cdc-travel-warning-brazil-caribbean.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4180718/zika-virus-pregnant-women-travel-warning-cdc/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4180718/zika-virus-pregnant-women-travel-warning-cdc/"},"headline":"U.S. May Warn Pregnant Women About Traveling to Countries With Zika Virus","datePublished":"2016-01-14T16:30:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T14:08:15.191Z","description":"The mosquitoes-borne virus has been linked to birth defects","url":"https://time.com/4180718/zika-virus-pregnant-women-travel-warning-cdc/","keywords":["Infectious Disease","CDC","Mosquitoes","Zika virus"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8a9dee9f29564ce/6988792b0a4a22267f9c7e8d/mos.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8a9dee9f29564ce/6988792b0a4a22267f9c7e8d/mos.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"139289970","caption":"139289970","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/infectious-disease/","name":"Infectious Disease"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4180718/zika-virus-pregnant-women-travel-warning-cdc/","name":"U.S. May Warn Pregnant Women About Traveling to Countries With Zika Virus"}}]}] ```