All planes arriving in Britain from Zika areas to be sprayed with insecticide

Airlines were told Friday to spray all planes with insecticide if they have arrived from countries were Zika is confirmed.

The precautionary measure is part of a comprehensive government response to the disease, the British Department of Health said.

On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared microcephaly, which may be linked to Zika, a public health emergency of international concern.

The British Department of Health said in a statement: "As a precautionary measure, the government is asking airlines to ensure that disinsection (spraying with insecticide) takes place on all flights to Britain from countries with confirmed transmission of Zika."

The disinsection will involve spraying insecticide inside the aircraft to reduce the risk of passengers being bitten by any mosquitoes that could have entered the aircraft. The type of mosquito that transmits the virus is extremely unlikely to survive and breed here given the lower temperatures in Britain.

Public Health Minister Jane Ellison said: "Spraying insecticide 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 traveling 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," she added.

Meanwhile the British government announced 1 million pounds (1.45 million U.S. dollars) of funding for research to tackle the Zika virus.

The money from the Global Challenges Research Fund will provide grants for researchers investigating the nature of the virus, including how it is passed on and the potential links to conditions including microcephaly, where an unborn baby's brain and head stop developing in the womb.

The funding will be made available through the Medical Research Council.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said: "We need to build the scientific evidence around the Zika virus, especially on the potential link to microcephaly. We are determined to support international efforts to understand how to diagnose the disease and control its spread."

The UK Vaccine Network will shortly launch a funding call to support the development of vaccines for some of the world's deadliest diseases, including Zika.

The NHS Blood and Transplant service has introduced a 28-day blood donation deferral for people looking to donate blood in England and North Wales who have traveled to countries where the Zika virus is endemic. Endit