What Pregnant Women Need to Know About the Zika Virus

By now you’ve probably heard about the danger facing pregnant women from Zika virus, which is “spreading explosively” in the Americas, according to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday.

According to Dr. Christina Therese Leonard, who specializes in infectious disease, the virus, which is contracted through mosquito bites, can cause the birth defect “microcephaly.”

“Babies have underdeveloped brains and very small heads. Most of them have intellectual disability or developmental delay and a lot have seizures,” she tells Babble.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant to postpone travel to most of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Samoa, Puerto Rico, and Mexico — and moms-to-be are taking this warning seriously.

One such couple who chose to cancel their travel plans in wake of the virus are Natalie Nielson and her husband, Ben from Cottonwood Heights, Utah. They had a special trip planned to Tulum, Mexico to celebrate two major milestones: their marriage in July and baby no. 3 on board, but they’ve since canceled the trip.

So what do pregnant women need to know about the virus?

Dr. Leonard tells Babble the scariest thing is that in 80 percent of cases, the person has no idea they have the virus at all. “The other 20 percent get a headache, conjunctivitis (pink eye), and a rash. Low-grade fevers and some body aches are also common.”

But this just seems like a bad virus that needs some TLC and rest, right? Yes. So this is why pregnant women need to take the CDC’s warning seriously. You can get bit and have no clue you’re infected with Zika — until your baby is born.

Also, women in their child-bearing years or those thinking about getting pregnant who have plans to visit countries on the CDC’s warning list are advised to use contraception on the trip, according to Dr. Leonard. “And for one month after (in case you are one of the ‘asymptomatic’ cases and the virus is hanging around for a couple days after you get home).”

“We don’t know exactly when women are at the highest risk of complications from this infection, but the majority of head, brain, and spinal cord development occurs in the first half of pregnancy,” says Dr. Leonard.

Still, if you are pregnant and absolutely must travel — we’re talking a grave family emergency and not to dip your toes in salt water — Dr. Leonard says to wear insect repellant (with DEET, which the CDC considers safe for pregnant and nursing women).

“Dress in long sleeves (spray the insect repellant over your clothes), and if at all possible, sleep under a mosquito net. Mosquitos that carry Zika (Aedes aegypti) are day biters that are most active in the morning after sunrise and in the evening before sundown. If you only wear bug spray at night, you’ll be missing their prime biting time.”

The post What Pregnant Women Need to Know About the Zika Virus appeared first on Babble.