Since August, the CDC has tested 257 pregnant women for Zika; eight were positive, and a state lab confirmed a ninth.
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Babies with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, can have a range of problems, including seizures, developmental delay, feeding problems and hearing loss.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it’s investigating 10 more reports of pregnant travelers with Zika.
Scientists recently reported that the virus can also affect tissues outside the brain and spinal cord, and has been linked to one reported stillbirth. Two women had abortions, one after scans showed the fetus had an undeveloped brain.
Like West Nile virus, Zika is primarily transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.
The OHA confirmed Oregon’s first case of Zika earlier in February, but in that case, the woman who was diagnosed did not get Zika through sex.
The Zika virus is spread mainly by mosquito bites and causes mild illness or no symptoms in most people.
CDC’s travel guidance covers a variety of health and safety topics, including information about the Zika virus outbreak now occurring in Brazil.
Those destinations are among the 30 places now on the CDC’s travel alert.
– Three of the women have delivered babies; two of the newborns are apparently healthy, and one was born with microcephaly.
Brazil has confirmed more than 580 cases of microcephaly, and considers a lot of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
For women who are trying to become pregnant, before travel they should talk to health care provider about pregnancy and the risk of Zika virus infection during a trip.
“Either use condoms the right way, every time, or do not have sex during your pregnancy”, the CDC said.
But it is still not known whether this was caused by the virus as doctors scramble to understand the virus.
– Two pregnancies are continuing with no reported complications.
“This case serves as a reminder that anyone traveling to Zika-affected parts of the world should be mindful of the health issues present in that region”, said Jim Murphy of the Department of Public Health and Human Services Communicable Disease Bureau.
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Because Zika is capable of being transmitted sexually, partners of women who are pregnant and reside in or have traveled to areas with Zika transmission should use condoms or abstain from sex throughout the pregnancy. Six other cases are still being investigated, and two have been ruled out.
