A US warning urging pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin American countries where the m…
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One week ago, the CDC issued a travel warning for pregnant women or women planning to get pregnant for the following countries and territories: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.
But there’s mounting evidence linking the infection to a birth defect called microcephaly, in which the head is smaller than normal and the brain may not have developed properly.
Colombian officials predict the fast-spreading Zika virus may infect as many as 700,000 people there, and they’re advising women to put off getting pregnant if they can.
In most cases, symptoms from Zika are rare and mild. but as the head of Biological Sciences at Purdue University recently told Yahoo Travel, when a pregnant woman is infected, the fetus can be affected too, leading to microcephaly – a potentially deadly underdevelopment of his or her brain.
An adult who contracts Zika may experience a slight fever and a rash, as well as and pain in the joints and behind the eyes.
This week, Brazilian disease specialists said more patients, who may have been infected with Zika virus, have been diagnosed this year with Guillain-Barré syndrome, the New York Times reported.
“Further studies are needed to confirm the association of microcephaly with Zika virus infection during pregnancy and to understand any other adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with Zika virus infection”, they wrote. The first outbreak outside of Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands only occurred in May 2015, when a case was reported in Brazil.
An army soldier checks for mosquito larvae to try to limit transmission of the Zika virus in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
What’s the best way to avoid catching Zika virus?
In the past year, there have been a dozen confirmed cases among USA travelers, including two pregnant women in IL and one in Hawaii, whose baby was born with the birth defect.
The Ministry Officials said at a news conference last week that the number of deformed babies had risen to 49.
15, 2016, USA health officials are telling pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin America and Caribbean countries with outbreaks of a tropical illness linked to birth defects.
El Salvador has reported an increase in the number of Guillain-Barre cases, the World Health Organization says.
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The virus can be expected to spread more, as the mosquitoes that carry it can be found across the region.
