LDS Church Reveals New Dress Guidelines For Sister Missionaries In Regions With Mosquito-Borne Diseases

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announces new attire guidelines for LDS women missionaries serving in areas where there's a pronounced threat of mosquito-borne illnesses. Photo: Intellectual Reserve

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 21, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced new dress guidelines for LDS missionaries serving in areas impacted by mosquito-borne illnesses.

The changes were announced Friday by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and were prompted by concerns over the spread of diseases like Zika, Dengue Fever and Chikungunya.

According to the announcement, posted on ldsnewsroom.org, nearly half of the Church’s missionaries serve in parts of the world where there is significant risk of exposure to mosquito-borne illnesses.
Consequently, missionaries are now being “strongly encouraged to wear clothing that covers exposed skin, especially arms and legs.”
“We will continue to monitor and evaluate the spread of these diseases and, where needed, make adjustments in these guidelines, giving highest priority to missionary health and safety,” said the statement from the First Presidency.
This was second such announcement concerning missionary dress to make headlines in recent days. The Church now allows its missionaries to wear sunglasses and hats for sun protection. 

The Church had previously discussed the Zika threat to its missionaries. In February, 2016 Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer, a physician and assistant executive director in the Church’s Missionary Department, underscored the battle to keep missionaries safe.

“The greatest concern related to Zika infections has to do with pregnant women and their unborn children. Obviously, this isn’t something that’s relevant to our sister missionaries. There is no evidence to support that subsequent pregnancies or fertility is affected when the woman has fully recovered.”

The newly revised missionary dress and grooming guidelines can be found online.

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