The zika virus is expected to spread to parts of Europe this summer, including countries popular with millions of Brits each year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a list of countries at risk of an outbreak of the disease linked to serious birth defects.

While the UK is deemed to be “low” risk, global health chiefs have urged ‘preparedness’.

France is the country most likely to face an outbreak among countries with a moderate risk

Italy, Malta – visited by 450,000 Brits every year - Croatia, Spain, Monaco, San Marino, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Israel Bulgaria and Slovenia were also deemed to be at moderate risk.

Prof Jimmy Whitworth at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine warned the risk of Zika spreading to Europe was ‘real’ and called for holidaymakers to heed health advice.

The zika virus is heading to British holiday destinations (
Image:
Mirrorpix)

He said: “The main mosquito for Zika, Aedes aegypti, is only found in Madeira and around the Black Sea.

“But the another Aedes albopictus is more widespread and is capable of transmitting Zika, although not very efficiently.

“Countries in southern Europe, including France and Italy, need to be especially vigilant.

Read more:Athletes at Rio 2016 Olympics to be issued extra-strong condoms amid Zika virus fears

“It is important for holidaymakers to heed public health advice while abroad, including taking all the necessary precautions to avoid being bitten.

“This is especially so for pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant as there is aproven link with microcephaly and other birth defects.”

WHO looked at the most obvious transmission risks, such as travel routes from Latin America - where there have been thousands of cases of Zika - as mosquitoes carrying the disease can ‘stow away’ in baggage.

Aedes Aegypti mosquito can stow away in baggage (
Image:
Getty)

Pregnant women were advised to postpone non-essential travel to countries with an active Zika virus transmission until after pregnancy .

Women should avoid becoming pregnant while travelling in an area with Zika virus transmission, and for 28 days after their return.

It is now known to be a cause of microcephaly, where babies are born with abnormally small heads due to their brains not developing properly in the womb.

Read more:Genetically modified Zika-fighting mutant mosquitoes to be unleashed on US

Microcephaly can cause serious developmental problems and death in some cases. For those people who are not pregnant, Zika can act as a “silent” disease with no symptoms.

It spread like wildfire in Brazil, with 4,000 cases reported by February this year.

However Dr Derek Gatherer, from Lancaster University , said there was “no reason for pregnant women to avoid travel to France or other countries this summer.” He added: “If there is an outbreak, there may well be travel advisories issued for specific areas, but these are likely to be very limited.”

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For people who do develop Zika symptoms, these include fever, red and sore eyes, headaches, rashes and joint pain.

A disorder of the nervous system known as Guillain-Barre syndrome has also been linked to the infection. Governments need to ‘detect imported cases early and provide advice to travellers’, according to the new WHO risk assessment.

Their experts said risk varies across the continent, but is higher where the mosquito that carries the virus is present.

The likelihood of Zika virus transmission, if no measures are taken to mitigate the threat, is moderate in 18 countries in Europe.

The risk is high on the island of Madeira, which had an outbreak of 2,000 cases of dengue fever due to the same Aedes mosquitoes which cause Zika in 2012, and the north-eastern coast of the Black Sea.

Thirty-six countries have a low risk, including top tourist destinations Italy, Spain and southern France, owing to the absence of Aedes mosquitoes or suitable climatic conditions.

Zika virus under a microscope (
Image:
PA)

Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO regional director for Europe, said: “The new evidence tells us that there is a risk of spread of Zika virus disease and that this risk varies from country to country.

“With this risk assessment, WHO wants to target preparedness work in each European country based on its level of risk.

“We call on countries at higher risk to strengthen their national capacities and prioritise activities to prevent a large Zika outbreak.”

Dr Nedret Emiroglu, WHO director of Communicable Diseases for Europe, added: “We stand ready to support countries on the ground in case of Zika virus outbreaks.

“Our support to countries to prepare for and respond to Zika is a key aspect of our work in emergencies.”

Mosquito-borne transmission of the virus is present in 58 countries around the world, the organisation said.

Health worker fumigates a neighborhood as part of the city's effort to prevent the spread of Zika virus (
Image:
Reuters)

The most recent figures show that 23 UK travellers have been infected after visiting affected regions.

The majority of those infected with Zika will have no symptoms. For others it can cause a mild illness with symptoms including a rash, fever and headache. Serious complications, such as microcephaly, congenital abnormalities as well as a rare disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome, are not common.

Dr Dipti Patel, director of the National Travel Health Network, said: “We recommend pregnant women postpone non essential travel to areas where Zika outbreaks are ongoing until after their pregnancy.

“Women planning to become pregnant should discuss travel plans with their health care provider.”

There is currently no vaccine against Zika and no way of being tested for the virus. The best protection is to take steps to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

Official health advice says people should use insect repellents, cover up with long-sleeved clothing and keep windows and doors closed.

The larvae of Aedes aegypti mosquito (
Image:
REUTERS)

Still water and stagnant water such as in buckets and ponds also attracts mosquitoes to lay their eggs.

The WHO European region covers 53 countries, and 900 million people,

stretching from the Arctic in the North to the Med in the south, from the Atlantic in the west to the Pacific in the East.

Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular Virology at the University of Nottingham, said: “It isn’t a big surprise that WHO have indicated that there is a real but fairly low chance of Zika virus spreading to parts of Europe.

“We live in an extremely interconnected world - and travel and trade, as well as poverty and poor healthcare systems, provide the perfect conditions for these types of infections to spread.

“But remember, we are talking risk - a low to moderate risk - so it doesn’t mean that a Zika virus outbreak affecting great swathes of continental Europe is a certainty.

“Anyone visiting a country experiencing a Zika outbreak needs to be vigilant by avoiding insect bites through covering up and using DEET-containing insect repellents - they are the best ways of reducing the chances of becoming infected and then taking the virus elsewhere.”

Is it safe to travel by Mirror Travel Editor Nigel Thompson

Yes, if Zika does spread to the tourist heartlands of Europe it’s going to be a worry.

But some context and perspective - Zika is not malaria.

Zika is certainly a real concern and the pictures of babies with microcephaly are extremely distressing.

But Zika is not deadly, and many people who get it just have very mild symptoms.

Malaria killed 438,000 people worldwide in 2015, according to the WHO.

And do British people still go on holiday to countries with malaria? Yes. In their tens of thousands.

So I don’t expect Brits to cancel holidays in large numbers if the Zika virus is detected in travel hotspots this summer.

However, pregnant women due to travel to any of the destinations which may be affected should of course seek advice from their GP and ask for a medical certificate to assist them with any potential insurance claim and with any changes of plans with their tour operator.

Travel companies have already said they will try to be as flexible as possible with pregnant customers and women who are expecting should definitely think twice about travelling. Why take the risk?

Needless to say, as with most mosquito-borne diseases, the best way to avoid Zika is by not getting bitten in the first place.

So use full strength ‘jungle formula’ insect repellent with 50% DEET and where possible cover up with long sleeves and trousers, especially in the evenings.

Also consider wearing clothing which is impregnated with anti-mosquito repellent and is widely available from high street camping and outdoors retailers.

Countries in Europe and surrounding regions that have been assessed for their risk of a Zika outbreak:

High risk

  • Madeira The Black Sea
  • Coastal area of Georgia The Black Sea
  • Coastal area of Russia

Moderate risk

  • France
  • Italy
  • Malta
  • Croatia
  • Israel
  • Spain
  • Monaco
  • San Marino
  • Turkey
  • Greece
  • Switzerland
  • Bulgaria
  • Romania
  • Slovenia
  • Georgia
  • Albania
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Montenegro

Low risk

  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Cyprus
  • Macedonia
  • Belgium
  • Germany
  • Luxembourg
  • Ukraine
  • Hungary
  • Austria
  • Serbia
  • Moldova
  • The Netherlands
  • United Kingdom
  • Denmark
  • Sweden
  • Czech Republic
  • Andorra
  • Norway
  • Slovakia
  • Liechtenstein

Very low risk

  • Armenia
  • Poland
  • Ireland
  • Lithuania
  • Uzbekistan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Tajikistan
  • Kyrgyzstan

No risk

  • Finland
  • Estonia
  • Iceland
  • Latvia
  • Belarus