The Zika virus outbreak has been proven to be very unsafe especially for pregnant women.
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The nine confirmed US cases of Zika virus infection were reported among pregnant women who had traveled to one or more of the following nine areas: American Samoa, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Samoa.
The advice was released the same day that the CDC confirmed nine cases of pregnant women with Zika in the US, and is investigating 10 more.
“We did not expect to see these brain abnormalities in this small case series of USA pregnant travelers”, said Dr. Denise Jamieson, who’s helping lead the CDC’s Zika response.
Common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes (conjunctivitis).
Frieden emphasized that proving a Zika-microcephaly connection is complicated, as there may be other factors involved, as well.
Babies with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, can have a range of problems, including seizures, developmental delay, feeding problems and hearing loss.
Genetic evidence of Zika virus was detected in tissue specimens from the two miscarriages.
In its report Friday, the CDC did not give the women’s hometowns; state health officials have said there were two pregnant women with Zika in IL, three in Florida and one in Hawaii, who gave birth to a baby with microcephaly.
The CDC said the Zika outbreak in Brazil is “dynamic” and that it will continue to monitor the situation and will adjust these recommendations as needed.
Two women experienced the virus during their second trimester of pregnancy.
Travelers returning from Zika-affected areas who have symptoms or are pregnant should consult with their health care provider.
Frieden added that the CDC has developed a test for Zika and is sending it to public health laboratories in the US and its territories, including Puerto Rico, where the virus is spreading. It recommends that pregnant women postpone trips to those areas.
The CDC has identified many countries where there are known, active Zika virus transmission, but there’s two main areas that you want to pay attention to.
“As of today, 147 cases have been reported to CDC”.
“Our priority is to protect the health of the athletes”, Budgett said. Pregnant women and their partners should also be aware of the risk for Zika virus infection through unprotected sex with an infected male partner, and carefully follow CDC interim guidelines for preventing sexual transmission of Zika virus infection.
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Frieden said the agency did not anticipate so many cases of sexual transmission.
