Pregnant women are being urged to reconsider travelling to Thailand after several cases of the Zika virus were reported in the country.

It is one of the few places outside the Americas and the Caribbean where the mosquito-born virus has been detected, although it has also spread to Cape Verde in the Atlantic and to several Pacific islands.

The Foreign Office amended its advice today to suggest people travelling to Thailand follow the advice of the National Travel Health Network and Centre, particularly women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.

Nathnac recommends pregnant women reconsider their plans to travel to Zika-infected countries due to the risk to their unborn babies. Although Zika is relatively harmless to adults, it can cause congenital defects in babies.

Thomas Cook said it would contact scheduled airlines to request changes for customers who are pregnant who no longer wish to travel to Thailand. The operator doesn’t operate its own charters to the destination.