More than 5000 pregnant women in Colombia have Zika virus: government

They were deployed on the streets to hand out leaflets warning of dangers of still and stagnant water as breeding grounds for the yellow fever mosquito and methods for them to be removed and prevented. Additionally, women who are or may be pregnant are at a greater risk because the virus is linked to the rare birth defect microcephaly, which causes head and brain abnormalities.

While “no scientific evidence to date confirms a link between Zika virus and microcephaly or GBS”, the agency pointed out that GBS was also observed during the 2013-14 Zika virus outbreak in French Polynesia. Though the link is yet to be confirmed, health officials urge pregnant women to avoid traveling to areas with known Zika virus cases.

Broward County reported a new case of travel-associated Zika on Monday, bringing up the state’s total from 20 to 21.

The Zika virus has grown to become a global health problem that several nations – especially in the Latin Americas – are trying very hard to contain and address. “There are concerns that the Zika virus may spread globally to environments where mosquitoes can live and breed”, Reuters reported.

To keep up with news about the Zika virus, NPR has compiled a timeline which it is updating as needed. Yesterday, Colombia’s national health institute said more than 5,000 pregnant women were infected with Zika.

“August and July are dry months, not as warm, so we have less incidence of the mosquito”, he said.

Brazil’s health minister, Marcelo Castro, told the AP on Friday that the war on mosquito-borne illnesses was an old one in Brazil. “However, there is no need for panic or fear among the public about the virus but it is better to be prepared if we report any cases”.

There are so far no recorded cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in Colombia, the government has said.

CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden estimates that 40 million people travel from the U.S.to Zika- affected areas each year, and that many of those will come back with Zika.

Health authorities must get birth control out to these women, governments must ease restrictions on abortions, and the conditions that allow for the mosquitoes to flourish must be cleaned up.