[Courtesy of World Health Organization]
As the summer vacation season started, South Korean overseas travelers were given a fresh warning about mosquito bites after 21 people were found to have infected with the Zika virus since March last year.
The state-run Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is concerned about the growing number of people infected with the virus during their trips to Southeast Asian countries. Many tourist spots there are infested with mosquitos.
The center speculated that the monsoon season in Southeast Asia would increase the danger of being infected with Zika, which was detected first in South America in 2015 and spread globally last year. The virus causes birth defects including microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and with brain damage. There has been no specific medication or a vaccine available.
Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
