El Salvador today urged women in the country to avoid getting pregnant until 2018 to prevent their children developing birth defects from the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
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A seemingly routine public health problem for countries that are home to a certain type of mosquito has morphed into a potentially culture-shaping phenomenon in which the populations of several nations have been asked to delay procreation.
Officials in multiple Caribbean and Latin American countries are advising women to postpone pregnancy until more is known about the virus and microcephaly. Babies with the condition have abnormally small heads, resulting in developmental issues and, in some cases, death.
The surge of cases since the virus was first detected a year ago in Brazil led the ministry to link it to the fetal deformations and warn pregnant women to use insect repellent to avoid mosquito bites.
Because no treatment or vaccine for Zika virus exists, the best way to avoid being infected is to simply not be bitten by mosquitoes carrying it. Symptoms of the virus range from a fever and rash to joint and muscle pain, and red eyes and headache.
Other Bay Area women have also been tested for the Zika virus, and probably more will be tested as the overseas outbreak continues, according to at least one Bay Area infectious disease specialist.
In recent weeks, the CDC has issued travel advisories that recommend no travel to Brazil for pregnant women or women hoping to conceive.
Zika comes from the same mosquito that transmits dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya.
The American Samoa department of health is investigating possible cases of Zika in the territory.
The first case of the dreaded Zika virus has been discovered on the neighbouring island of St Croix, US Virgin Islands (USVI).
Around 1.5 million people in Brazil have been infected in just eight months and 14 countries across South and Central America, including Barbados and Mexico, have reported locally-acquired cases.
“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. Most infections are asymptomatic, and symptomatic disease generally is mild. “That’s why pregnant women and women who are considering pregnancy should delay planned travel to areas where Zika virus outbreaks are ongoing”.
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The mosquito-borne Zika virus has already been connected to birth defects in Brazilian newborns, but a new report from health officials indicates it could also be tied to a rare paralysis syndrome.
