Latin American Health Officials Warn Women to Avoid Pregnancy Due to Virus

Brazil, which has been hit hard by Zika, says almost 4,000 babies have been born with suspected microcephaly since October, and US officials say pregnant women should avoid traveling to countries affected by the outbreak. Travel warnings have been issued by some nations as the region plays host to the 2016 summer Olympics in June.

Three British travellers who traveled to south and central America and returned to Britain have been diagnosed with the Zika virus, which may cause brain deformities in babies, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

“The mosquito vector for Zika is genus Aedes mosquitos, of which Aedes aegypti as well as Aedes albopictus is found to infest regions of North America, such as Mexico and southern U.S”, Ko, Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine at Yale, told The Speaker. The virus appears to be spreading internationally, raising concerns among public health agencies.

Acute symptoms of Zika can last from four to seven days and includes fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, eyeball pain, weakness, red rash consisting of small bumps, swelling in the lower limbs, anorexia, vomiting and diarrhea, abdominal pain and conjunctivitis.

Officials in multiple Caribbean and Latin American countries are advising women to postpone pregnancy until more is known about the virus and microcephaly.

Dr Hilary Kirkbride, travel and migrant health expert at PHE, said: “The symptoms of Zika are similar to other mosquito-borne infections such as dengue, chikungunya and malaria so laboratory testing is essential for the correct diagnosis”.

However, only six cases of microcephaly have been undisputedly linked to the Zika virus there.

The Brazilian government has announced plans to fund a biomedical research centre to help develop a vaccine against Zika virus.

“If they decide to get pregnant then take the necessary measures to protect mothers during their pregnancy they cover a large part of their bodies so they are not exposed to the mosquito which could cause Zika and a child with microcephaly”.

Meanwhile, US health authorities have expanded a travel warning for pregnant women to avoid 22 places in Latin America and the Caribbean due to the Zika virus. “If you find a pregnant woman who has traveled to any of these areas throughout her pregnancy… she needs to be followed and tested”.

The surge of cases since the virus was first detected past year in Brazil led the ministry to link it to the fetal deformations and warn pregnant women to use insect repellent to avoid mosquito bites.