Is Thailand holiday safe when pregnant?

[Zoshi]

Hello everyone

My wife is 10 weeks pregnant. In February 2020 we have a scheduled trip to Koh Samui, Thailand.

Is the risk too high due to Zika virus? Should we forget the trip?

Thank you all

I would suggest looking at official advice to help you decide rather than asking on a chat forum full of unqualified randoms. This is a good place to start. www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/health

I got pregnant in a Zika infected country and the NHS have been absolutely useless.
They refused to test or do scans as required by their own guidelines and now I have no idea if I'm carrying a seriously ill/deformed child.

Unless you're sure you can get testing when you get back it might be worth giving it a miss.
I did see heavily pregnant women where I was and they didn't seem too bothered. They were all Americans though so they may have received different travel advice to us.

The scans to confirm the effects of Zika can't be determined until late 2nd/early 3rd trimester anyway so you would need to push for extra scanning to help you find out whether you've been affected.

I wouldn't, sorry. I was desperate to go TTC and during my pregnancy but ultimately it wasn't worth the risk or worry. It should/may be possible to be refunded on health grounds?

I think the actual cases in Thailand have been relatively low as zika has been present there for years. But there's still a risk.

I'd go to Sri Lanka, Mauritus or the Seychelles which were all zika free when I last checked.

To be honest, living in SE Asia, the zika risk didn't even cross my mind when I went to Thailand while pregnant (8 months ago). I was more concerned about having easy access to an international-standard hospital just in case I had concerns/anything happened, and being careful about what I ate and how I traveled around. My understanding is that there are very very few cases of microcephaly linked to zika in Asia (compared to in the Americas), but of course low risk does not equal no risk, so it comes down to what you are comfortable with.

I was comfortable with the risk and went there during my pregnancy. I looked it up and found out that in Thailand there have so far been two babies diagnosed with microcephely related to zika, the population is 70 million. So the chance of it happening to a tourist there for a week, who isn't going out to the jungle and who takes mosquito precautions, is pretty much nil as I see it.

Thank you very much for your answers.

Next week I have a traveler's appointment and I will ask the doctor the question to see what he recommends.

One thing to consider is if your travel insurance covers the baby if they are born prematurely while in the country. Although your wife might be (depends on policy). Usually unborn babies are not. It could cost in the hundreds of thousands. If the baby is not & you've already booked/paid your insurer might cover that.
Imo it's not worth the risk if not covered.

Realistically you are probably fine.

But if you are not. Puh. Nightmare.

travelhealthpro.org.uk/country/221/thailand#Other_risks

Pregnant women are advised not to travel to Thailand due to Zika virus

Hi there,

May I ask what the outcome was of your doctors appointment and if you went to Thailand in the end?

Karly

Hi Arlyarly,

We did the consultation a few months ago. The doctor told us to travel with some recommendations. He said there is no reason to cancel the travel to Thailand. The last reported Zika case was in 2016 in northern Thailand (we are going to travel to Koh Samui).

Precautions he recommended to take:

• Never drink tap water even to wash the teeth. Use only bottled water.
• Do not dive deep.
• Avoid contact with wild animals.
• Do not eat street food. Choose to eat in places where there is reliable cuisine (product quality, hygiene, etc.).
• Containment socks during flights.
• Drink a lot of water
• Use repellent to reduce the risk of insect bites (specific product for pregnant women)

I hope I'm not forgetting anything ...

Last week we called the doctor to find out about the coronavirus. He recommended wearing a mask at airports and during the flight.

We are going to travel to Thailand at the end of the month I hope everything goes well!

Wow that’s brilliant thank you for all of your information that’s really helpful :) we are going away at the end of April and for love nor money I couldn’t find when the last reported case of this was in Thailand. Really helpful re the coronovirus information also, thank you so much and have an amazing trip :)