CDC removes three countries from Zika watch-list

Taiwan has removed Cambodia, Bangladesh and Gabon from its watch-list for the Zika virus because there have been no reported cases of Zika infection in any of those places for the past two years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Friday .

However, as indigenous cases of Zika infection were reported in New Caledonia in June, the CDC has issued a Level 2 alert for travel there, but at the same time advised pregnant women or women planning on becoming pregnant to refrain from going there for the time being .

The CDC uses a three-tier system -- watch, alert, warning -- in order of severity in its travel advisory .

Level 1 urges vigilance and health precautions, while Level 2 calls for a high degree of caution and strong protective measures, and Level 3 advises against travel to or from a specified destination .

The agency currently has 63 countries, areas and territories worldwide, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean, under the tier-2 alert level, and four countries on the level 1 watch-list.

Taiwan has reported nine cases of Zika infection so far, all of which have been imported.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel