As Zika can also be transmitted through sexual activity with an infected male partner, pregnant women and women who could be pregnant should be sure to use a condom when having sex with a male partner who may be infected with Zika. A small study published in February suggested this might be the case. But the CDC also expects localized outbreaks of Zika in the U.S.as mosquito season starts.
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CDC and the World Health Organization now say there is no doubt that Zika causes birth defects.
For those couples who are actively trying to get pregnant and may have had exposure to Zika, these CDC guidelines should answer any questions.
A report published in Madison said, “Colombian and US researchers studied nearly 12,000 pregnancies occurring in 2015 among women in Colombia, a country that is endemic for the mosquito that spreads the Zika virus”.
Women of child-bearing age who live in an active Zika region should protect themselves from mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeved shirts and long trousers, using mosquito repellent when outside, and staying indoors as much as possible, according to the CDC.
In another case reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, a woman in Washington, D.C., who had been infected while on vacation in Central America, terminated her pregnancy after doctors discovered severe brain damage in her fetus. If Zika infection occurs during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, then the risk of Zika-related birth defects increases. The information released Thursday is the first time the agency has provided a total number of Zika-related birth defects since the start of the US response earlier this year.
Among cases of microcephaly reported in Colombia from January 1 to April 28 of this year, four infants were born with microcephaly and had been lab-confirmed to be infected by the virus.
“The abnormalities that we’re seeing are consistent with what we’ve described as congenital Zika virus infection”, Dr. Jamieson said.
Back at Vanderbilt, scientists say most people who are infected might not even know it.
“At the DOH we will continue to stress the importance of protecting ourselves, our loved ones and our islands from the possible devastating health effects of this virus and encourage our residents, especially pregnant women in the territory, to take advantage of the free services offered by the Department of Health”, Davis stated.
Most people face no serious risk from Zika infections.
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Despite dire warnings from public health officials and experts about the spread of the virus this summer, Congress has balked on approving the Obama administration’s $1.9 billion request for Zika funding.
