US citizens wary of travelling to Latin America over zika
The poll is the latest sign the virus, suspected to be linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil, could depress travel to popular cold-weather getaways in the coming months.
Airlines and cruise ship operators have yet to report drops in bookings because of zika, and analysts have downplayed the impact that newly sedentary parents- to-be could have on their revenue.
Still, awareness of the mosquito-borne virus has surged to nearly two-thirds of Americans, according to the poll of 1,595 adults in the US conducted from February 1 to 5. That compares with 45% who had heard of zika in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from late January.
“I am actively trying to get pregnant with my husband, so I am a little bit concerned”, said Erica, a respondent who said she was bitten by a mosquito during a January trip to the US Virgin Islands, where zika has been reported.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has advised pregnant women to avoid travel to areas with an active outbreak of zika, and the World Health Organisation has declared an international emergency over the disease.
Of those aware of the virus, 41% said they were less likely to travel to Puerto Rico, Mexico or South America in the next year because of Zika, the poll found. Some 48% said zika had not changed the likelihood of their visiting those destinations, while others did not know.
Six out of 10 Americans aware of zika said the virus concerned them, including 18% who were very concerned, according to the poll.
Much remains unknown about zika, including whether the virus actually causes the birth defect microcephaly.
Brazil is investigating the potential link between zika infections and more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems.
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