Unicef: Simple measure can help limit exposure to Zika

KUALA LUMPUR: Simple measures can help the people limit their exposure to the Zika virus, says the UN children’s fund Unicef.

Unicef Malaysia representative Marianne Clark-Hattingh said the virus was transmitted through the Aedes mosquito, which also transmits the dengue virus.

“Pregnant women who think they have been exposed to the virus should seek care from a trained health provider immediately,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Clark-Hattingh said the public should use insect repellent and cover up the body as much as possible with long, light-coloured clothing.

They should also clean up places where mosquitoes can breed and use protection screens on their house windows and doors.

Despite the absence of conclusive evidence of the causal link between microcephaly and the Zika virus, Clark-Hattingh, a Unicef health emergency expert, called for immediate action to be taken, given the spread of the outbreak.

She added that for Latin America and the Caribbean, Unicef and its partners were acting fast to provide women and pregnant mothers with the information they needed to protect themselves and their babies.