It is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Southeast and South Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas, and the Pacific island countries.
Zika virus infection is an infectious disease caused by being bitten by mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) with Zika virus. Symptoms such as fever, headache, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle pain, joint pain, etc. usually appear 2 to 12 days (mostly 2 to 7 days) after being bitten by a mosquito. Even if you are infected, you may not have any symptoms. Symptoms resolve within a few days, but there is no vaccine or cure.
When you go to an overseas endemic area*, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, cover your skin, and use insect repellent* to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
In addition, Zika virus infection in pregnant women can cause congenital anomalies such as fetal microcephaly* due to mother-to-child transmission. Therefore, pregnant women and those who may become pregnant should refrain from traveling to endemic countries and regions as much as possible. On March 8, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that pregnant women should not travel to Japan. If travel is unavoidable, it is necessary to take strict anti-mosquito measures.
For the latest information, please refer to the related information website below.

* Endemic country area

• Zika virus infection endemic area (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare) (External link)

*Insect repellent
Use products containing active ingredients such as DEET and Icaridin. However, when using DEET on children under the age of 12, be careful and follow the instructions.

*Microcephaly
Microcephaly is a disorder that causes intellectual disability due to delayed brain development.

Related information

• Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare: About Zika virus infection (External link)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Infectious Disease Surveillance Center: Zika virus infection (External link)
• Q&A about Zika virus infection (External link)
• Regarding specific anti-mosquito measures: Clinical practice guidelines for mosquito-borne infections (See page 33 for information on how to use repellents.) (External link)

Leaflet on measures against mosquitoes (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
*Unauthorized use for purposes other than educational purposes is prohibited.

• Caution (PDF 312.7KB)
• Occurrence source (PDF 323.4KB)