Meghan Markle's Arms Wet During Tonga Visit Due To Zika Virus-Related Reasons

Meghan Markle has taken precautions against the Zika virus in Tonga.

On Wednesday evening, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a welcome reception and dinner with King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau'u in Tonga. For the event, Markle wore a white cap-sleeve dress, and royal fans noticed that her arms seemed to be wet and appeared unusually shiny.

According to Professor James G. Logan, head of the Department of Disease Control at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, this could be due to repellent. Repellents are very important for pregnant women to avoid Zika virus, which may cause deformities in the unborn child.

"The advice would be to wear a repellent which contains an active ingredient and wear that repellent all day and all evening," Logan explained (via Express). "You have to put the repellent on like a hand cream. You have to really rub it in."

"If you squirt it on like a perfume, that won’t do anything because the mosquito will find a bit that’s not covered," he added. "A spray or a lotion is fine but really rub it in and reapply it often. There are four active ingredients, one of the main ones is DEET and it’s safe to use that during pregnancy."

Markle is not afraid of the Zika virus following the palace's announcement that she's expecting. In fact, according to Martina Bet, the duchess walked into the Toloa Forest to visit Tonga's Topou College wearing a short-sleeved dress despite the Zika concerns.

Markle has been wearing dresses with long sleeves and lower hemlines during their trip which according to reports was intended to lower her risk of mosquito bites. She also opts for light-coloured clothing which is believed to be less attractive to the insects.

Fiji and Tonga, two of the countries that Prince Harry and Markle have visited are both positive of Zika virus. In fact, pregnant women are advised to delay their trips to these countries.

"There is evidence of ongoing Zika virus transmission in Fiji," the International Association for Medical Assistance for Travellers' report stated. "Take meticulous anti-mosquito bite measures during the daytime. Pregnant travellers should postpone travel to this country."

"Zika virus has been reported in Tonga. Public health officials have reported that mosquitoes in Tonga are infected with Zika and spreading it to people," the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report read.

Many thought that Markle would delay her pregnancy as she is visiting the said countries. When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they are pregnant, many thought that Markle wouldn't push with the tour in Fiji and Tonga, but she still did.