Manchester's Zika Precautions
Planes landing at Manchester and other UK airports from areas affected by Zika are to be sprayed with insecticide as part of the Government's response to the outbreak.
Zika is spreading through the Americas and can cause birth defects if pregnant women become infected
No cases of the mosquito-born virus have been reported in the UK, but two adults have been confirmed to have had it in Ireland. Both have since fully recovered.
As a precautionary measure airlines must ensure that disinsection takes place on all flights travelling to the UK from countries with confirmed transmission of Zika.
This involves spraying a simple insecticide inside the aircraft to reduce the risk of passengers being bitten by any mosquitoes that could have entered the aircraft. It already occurs on the majority of flights from the region as a precaution against malaria.
Aedes mosquitoes, which transmit the virus, are extremely unlikely to be able to survive and breed in the UK due to its lower temperature.
Public Health Minister Jane Ellison said: Disinsection is a highly precautionary measure to reduce the risk to passengers during flights to the UK.
I want to reassure people that the risk to the UK population is extremely low. We advise people travelling to affected areas to reduce the risk of themselves being bitten by wearing mosquito repellent, long sleeves and trousers.
Pregnant women should consider avoiding travel to countries with the Zika virus - or if travel is unavoidable, they ought to seek travel health advice from their GP or a travel clinic well in advance of their trip.''