GENEVA - Pregnant women and couples intending to have a baby after travelling to places where Zika virus has been found should “consider the risks and possible consequences” of infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

In a generally positive update on the spread of the mosquito-borne virus, which was linked to an unprecedented rise in the number of children born with unusually small heads in Brazil, the UN health agency said that Zika “persists”, but global transmission has been low since 2018.

Here’s spokesperson Christian Lindmeier: “The good news is that transmission is low. The challenge therefore is that because it is low, it’s more difficult to know with certainty where there is and is not transmission.

A total of 87 countries have or have had evidence of mosquito-borne Zika virus.

In addition to its advice to pregnant women or those wanting to become pregnant after travelling to destinations where Zika has been identified, WHO says that male travellers should take precautions up to three months after they have travelled to potential areas of transmission.