--- title: WHO Recommends Zika-Related Travel Advisory for Pregnant Women description: Based on evidence available, pregnant women may want to delay travel to areas where Zika is circulating, WHO says canonical: https://time.com/4219434/who-zika-pregnant-women/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-12T16:45:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T15:02:33.406Z article:section: Health og:title: WHO Recommends Zika-Related Travel Advisory for Pregnant Women og:description: Based on evidence available, pregnant women may want to delay travel to areas where Zika is circulating, WHO says og:url: https://time.com/4219434/who-zika-pregnant-women/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta60cfee4404c9c74/69887d79e20a873ebda8f877/zika-microcephaly-brazil1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2200 og:image:height: 1238 og:image:alt: Mother can raise child with microcephaly completely normal, a Brazilian mother says og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: WHO Recommends Zika-Related Travel Advisory for Pregnant Women twitter:description: Based on evidence available, pregnant women may want to delay travel to areas where Zika is circulating, WHO says twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta60cfee4404c9c74/69887d79e20a873ebda8f877/zika-microcephaly-brazil1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # WHO Issues Zika Travel Advisory for Pregnant Women > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Feb 12, 2016 4:45 PM UTC  Patricia Vieira de Araujo holding her granddaughter, who was born with microcephaly in Rio de Janeiro, on Feb. 11, 2015. Patricia Vieira de Araujo holding her granddaughter, who was born with microcephaly in Rio de Janeiro, on Feb. 11, 2015. Antonio Lacerda—EPA by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Feb 12, 2016 4:45 PM UTC The World Health Organization (WHO) [released updated travel advice](http://www.who.int/csr/disease/zika/information-for-travelers/en/) related to [Zika](http://time.com/4207599/zikas-toll/) for pregnant women and their sexual partners on Friday. Other public health groups, including U.S. health officials, had already issued travel advisories due to the possible link between Zika and [babies born with microcephaly](http://time.com/4202262/zika-brazil-doctors-recife-investigation-outbreak/). The WHO’s [statement](http://www.who.int/csr/disease/zika/information-for-travelers/en/) says, “Women who are pregnant should discuss their travel plans with their health care provider and consider delaying travel to any area where locally acquired Zika infection is occurring.” The WHO also said that while the virus is spread by mosquitoes and not person-to-person, there have been a small number of documented cases of sexual transmission of the virus. Due to this, the agency writes that until more is known about the risk, men and women who return from places where there is Zika should practice safe sex. In addition, the agency also recommends that people visiting places where Zika is circulating take usual precautions like using insect repellant. 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