WHO Issues Zika Advice For Pregnant Women

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published guidance for pregnant women concerned about the Zika virus.

Amid fears the mosquito-borne infection can cause foetal abnormalities, the agency issued advice on a number of areas - including facts on prevention and how the illness is transmitted to others.

It comes as a senior Public Health England official confirmed that seven travel-associated cases of the Zika virus had been documented in the UK.

The main advice included:

:: There is no evidence to suggest Zika is transmitted to babies through breastfeeding

:: Early ultrasound cannot accurately predict the presence of microcephaly - which can cause abnormally small heads in infants. However, WHO stressed there is only a "possible association" between this rare condition and Zika

:: More evidence is needed to determine whether sex transmits the Zika virus, but all men and women in affected South American countries should "correctly and consistently" use condoms to prevent infection

:: Though no travel restrictions are being implemented, women "must determine the level of risk they wish to take" to Zika-hit nations

:: Women who want to end their pregnancy over concerns of microcephaly "should have access to safe abortion services to the full extent of the law".

Dr Dilys Morgan said six of the seven UK cases were linked to the current outbreak spreading rapidly in South America - and warned more reports of infections were expected from people returning to the UK from a Zika-hit country.

However, she stressed there was no risk to the UK population at large.

Meanwhile, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed it will be working to fight against the virus as part of a coalition of 21 regulators from around the world.

Scientists in Asia are trying to develop kits which can detect the virus, but are experiencing setbacks because they do not have a live sample of the virus.

India, one of the countries working on a diagnostic kit, tried to use a strain from 1950 as a sample - but it was unsuitable for research as it was dead.

Several countries have confirmed they are dealing with new cases of the Zika virus.

Two people in Finland have tested positive for the infection - one of them a man who had returned from the Maldives in June.

China's first case of the Zika virus has been found in a 34-year-old man who had recently travelled to Venezuela, but he is said to be making a speedy recovery.

And in Australia, a pregnant woman has tested positive for the Zika virus.

Although the government there has refused to provide details on where she had travelled, officials have stressed she was not infected locally.