THE BAIS HAVAAD HALACHA JOURNAL: Volume 5776 Issue XX Tetzaveh THE ZIKA VIRUS TRAVEL ADVISORY Is it halachically permitted to travel to locales with communicable diseases? By: Rabbi Yosef Fund

The most recent outbreak of the Zika virus began in April 2015 in Brazil, and subsequently spread to other countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The virus has been linked to many cases of severe birth defects, including microcephaly and Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS). Recently, World Health Organization has declared the Zika virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As many as four million people could be infected by the end of the year. Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have urged pregnant women against travel to about two dozen countries, mostly in the Caribbean and Latin America, where the outbreak is growing. Does the Torah allow a person travel to a country which has been infected by the virus? Are there any prohibitions against potentially endangering an unborn child?