Zika Virus: Planes Arriving In UK To Be Sprayed With Insecticide
Britain has ordered airlines to start spraying insecticide inside plane cabins if they have flown to the UK from countries affected by the Zika virus.
The British government announced on Friday that they were taking the “highly precautionary step” as fears grow over the spread of the virus, which has been linked to babies being born with under-sized brains.
The virus, transmitted by mosquitoes, is now considered such a threat that it was declared an international emergency by the World Health Organisation earlier this week.
“I want to reassure people that the risk to the UK population is extremely low,” said Public Health Minister Jane Ellison following the announcement.
“We advise people travelling to affected areas to reduce the risk of themselves being bitten by wearing mosquito repellent, long sleeves and trousers.
"Pregnant women should consider avoiding travel to countries with the Zika virus - or if travel is unavoidable - they ought to seek travel health advice from their GP or a travel clinic well in advance of their trip."
The spraying will involve an insecticide being used inside the aircraft to reduce the risk of passengers being bitten by any mosquitoes that could have entered the aircraft.
Such spraying already occurs on the majority of flights from the region as a precaution against malaria.
London also announced on Friday a further £1 million funding for research to tackle the virus.
"We are determined to support international efforts to understand how to diagnose the disease and control its spread,” said Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies.
So far no cases have been found in the UK, but two adults were diagnosed with the virus in Ireland, though both have now made a full recovery.
Zika appears to be spreading through the Americas.
On Thursday, Spain confirmed that a pregnant woman had contracted the virus, the first such case in Europe. It is thought that she had recently travelled from Colombia.
The WHO says up to four million people could be infected with the virus by the end of this year.
