64 percent of US survey respondents to cancel travel to Zika-hit regions
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Venezuelan health worker fumigates the Valle slum to help control the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Caracas, January 28, 2016. REUTERS/Marco Bello (Copyright Reuters 2016)
A survey by travel risk manager On Call International found that about 64 percent of American respondents would cancel their travel to Zika virus-affected countries.
The findings are based on a Google Consumer Survey of 1,934 consumers in the United States aged 18 and over.
About 69 percent of all female respondents said they would cancel their travel plans and 37 percent of women aged 25-34 were the most likely to cancel their trip, according to the survey.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The mosquito-borne Zika virus is now present in 23 countries and territories in the Americas. Brazil, the hardest-hit country, has reported around 3,700 cases of the devastating birth defect called microcephaly that are strongly suspected to be related to Zika.
Pregnant women or women who may become pregnant within a month of visiting a Zika-affected country should postpone their travel plans to avoid infection, On Call International Chief Medical Officer Robert Wheeler said in a statement.