Pregnancy is a time when the immune system is somewhat depressed and many women suffer from colds and other ailments they would not otherwise. During this time it is important for a woman to follow doctors orders, exercise right, rest well, eat well and avoid activities that expose her or her unborn child to danger. Some of these dangerous activities include the use of illicit drugs, alcohol and over exercising.
Lately, exposure to infected mosquitoes bites have added to the list of dangers to mom and baby. In the past, moms just had to stay away from certain medications, illicit drugs and alcohol to grow a healthy baby but now if a mom lives in an area affected by Zika, they can still have a babies with neurological complications.
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html/
Starting in 2015, there has been outbreaks of the Zika virus infection in several countries in the Americas and this infection has spread to the U.S.A especially this summer. According to the center for disease control and prevention (CDC), about 4000 people have been reported with the infection in the United States and its territories. Out of the 4000+ reported, about 600 are pregnant women.
It is now confirmed that babies born to moms infected with the Zika virus have the risk of being born with certain birth defects.
What is Zika Virus Disease
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this disease is cause by the Zika virus and is spread mainly through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. This mosquito is the same one that spreads Dengue and Chikungunya viruses. Aedes mosquitoes are aggressive daytime bitters and love warm moist weathers.
Transmission
Aedes mosquitoes becomes infected when they ingest blood from and infected person. This mosquito in turn infects people when it bites and feed on them, leaving behind infected saliva. Transmission of infection from mother to child is low but if a woman is infected while pregnant, they can transmit this infection to their babies which can lead to babies born with neurological birth defects such as microcephaly.
It is not known when during pregnancy, Zika can cause problems for the baby. It is also not known how likely this infection will affect your pregnancy and no one knows for sure whether your baby will develop a birth defect from the infection. Because breastfeeding is very beneficial to the baby, moms are advised to continue breastfeeding even in areas with outbreaks because there is not clear proof that Zika can be transmitted by breast milk.
Zika virus can be transmitted from male to female in sperm so it is advisable to avoid having sex with your pregnant partner if you suspect you are infected with the virus or have been to a place with an active infection like Brazil.
Signs and symptoms
Only about 1 out of 5 people infected with Zika virus become ill. The most common symptoms are;
- fever
- conjunctivitis
- painful joints and rashes.
Sometimes people have headache and muscle ache but symptoms are usually very mild and do not require hospitalization.
Prevention
There are currently no vaccines against the virus. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid mosquito bites. The mosquito that spread Zika is most active during the day period. If you leave in a place that has an outbreak of Zika virus, use insect repellants when out doors. The best repellants are those that contain DEET, some oils of lemon eucalyptus, picaridin, para-methane-diol products and IR3535, because they are long lasting.
For more protection against infection do the following;
- If possible wear long sleeves and long pants and treat cloths with permethrin.
- Use window screens on all windows in your house and keep your air conditioner running.
- Empty all standing water bodies and containers around your house to prevent mosquito larva from growing in them.
- If you are infected, protect others from becoming infected by preventing mosquito bite within the first week of infection.
Pregnant Women
Zika virus has been associated with microcephaly (birth defect where babies are born with a smaller than normal head) and poor pregnancy outcomes for babies of mothers infected with the virus while pregnant. More research is needed to confirm the relationship between Zika virus and pregnancy outcomes for babied but while waiting, the CDC recommends that pregnant women use all the preventive techniques mentioned above.
Reference
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html
If you have more information on this topic, please leave a comment. Thanks for reading and remember to share this post on social media so many can learn and be safe.
I have never heard of the Zika virus. Is this a new virus that has just been discovered? It sounds very dangerous to pregnant women and the unborn child.
Just wondering where this virus originated from?
Would love to hear a little more about it and what sort of defects it causes.
Cheers
Hi Joel,
The Zika virus was discovered in 1947 in Luganda. It was initially isolated from a monkey and later in 1954 it was isolated from human in Nigeria. From it’s discovery, cases with this virus has been very rare. The outbreak of 2015 started in Brazil and has been spreading in the Americas. This virus has been associated with microcephaly (birth defect where babies are born with smaller than normal heads) for babies of mothers who had the infection during pregnancy.
I am definitely taking note of some of these techniques. I have a friend who is pregnant, so I will share this with her. I have never heard of the zika virus and mosquitoes are really common. That’s pretty scary actually. Are there any products you recommend for repelling mosquitoes, or just try the essential oils mentioned? I am not big on chemicals like deet.
Hi Molly,
Zika virus has not been popular until lately with the outbreak in Brazil that has been spreading in the Americas. The infection is very mild so many people never know they caught it. You can use some natural mosquito repellants like the lemon eucalyptus oil, cinnamon oil, citronella oil, castor oil and rosemary oil but you need to apply them every two hours for them to be effective.
It is very unnerving to know that there is a disease out there like that, and with no cure. And it is kind of hard to avoid ALL mosquitoes, especially at night. How do you not get bitten? How can you avoid an insect so small, that you can’t even feel that it’s on you until it’s too late. I know that you can wear long pants and long sleeves, but what about your feet, face, neck and hands? Being so hot outside, you can’t cover everything. The deet-containing insect spray does not work on country mosquitoes, because after nightfall, they’re coming for you, full force with or without deet. It’s very hard to protect yourself against them, even indoors. But I really hope that these virus-containing insects do not make it to the U.S., we can really live without their kind. 🙂 Great post!
Hi Retha,
I agree, we can live without that kind of virus. People already have to worry about west Nile and other viruses. Funny thing is, the mosquito that transmit Zika virus is active during the day instead. We can only protect ourselves to reduce the number of mosquito bites, hoping that it will reduce our chances of being bitten by an infected mosquito. Thanks for reading. Please spread the word.
Hello,
This is an emerging threat across the Americas with potentially huge impacts to millions of people. The World health Organization (WHO) has just convened an emergency meeting to address the (as they put it) explosive spread of the virus in the Americas. According to the WHO 3 to 4 MILLION people could be infected in the next 12 months as the virus is spreading in 24 countries and territories.
Mosquito borne diseases are very hard to control as evidenced by the billions of dollars spent trying, often ineffectively, to control malaria and Dengue fever, both also spread by mosquitoes.
Thank you for posting this article and helping to warn people.
Sincerely,
Xin
Hi Xin,
It is really hard to control mosquito born infections. I grew up in Africa and can’t remember how many times I was treated for malaria. It is scary though when there is no treatment. Please spread the word to friends and family in affected areas.
You know I had no how bad a mosquito bite can actually be, especially for pregnant women. This information is extremely valuable for pregnant women all over the country. I’m happy to comment and tell you your doing a fantastic job with this information. Thank you, I will be sharing your site.
Hi Carlos,
Thanks for the encouragement. I am working hard to make my site more informative. I’ll be working on tools that make sharing easier. Thanks for spreading the word.
I have heard of Dengue outbreak but not Zika.
Zika virus is transmitted to humans through a bite from infected Aedes-species mosquitoes (such as the Asian tiger mosquito). Aedes mosquitoes are also known to spread yellow and dengue fevers and chikungunya viruses.
Thank you for sharing this alert especially to the families of pregnant women and their unborn child. Indeed prevention is better than cure, getting rid of any stagnant water around our house is certainly something all of us can do. If there is an infection found and confirmed, the neigborhood should be warned immediately. Though there’s no known vaccine for Zika, the municipal taking care of the infected area must quickly do mosquito fogging (to kill mosquitoes en masse) as a form of prevention.
I have heard of Dengue outbreak but not Zika.
Zika virus is transmitted to humans through a bite from infected Aedes-species mosquitoes (such as the Asian tiger mosquito). Aedes mosquitoes are also known to spread yellow and dengue fevers and chikungunya viruses.
Thank you for sharing this alert especially to the families of pregnant women and their unborn child. Indeed, prevention is better than cure, getting rid of any stagnant water around our house is certainly something all of us can do. If there is an infection found and confirmed, the neighbourhood should be warned immediately. Though there’s no known vaccine for Zika, the municipal taking care of the infected area must quickly do mosquito fogging (to kill mosquitoes en masse) as a form of prevention.
Hi Fred,
You are right. Prompt action is very important in the control of any outbreak. It is also important that people who suspect that they might be infected go to the hospital as soon as possible for confirmation. Thanks for contributing to this topic. Please spread the word to friends and family.
Hi there,
Spot on with the topic of the day! I glad I googled this and found your site. Excellent information regarding the Zika virus.
As far as the mosquito side of transmission goes, I am safe as for some reason they just don’t seem to bite me, period! lucky!
Latest reports from the news is that Doctors suspect this virus can be transmitted from human to human from kissing and possibly sexual intercourse.
Hi Derek,
I’m happy you found the information helpful. I wish mosquitoes didn’t like me lol but they do think I’m so juicy. I will research more on the development of this virus. I really hope people don’t start getting it from sex and kisses.
Thanks for leaving feedback.
Hi Denise! I like your website a good information to read, Just read your post about Zika virus. Its sounds awfull. Especialy if you are victim of that you practicly cant do nothing. You sad on your post just pregnant women have big issues with that.. Do men can fall ill as well?
Thanks
Hi Vigo,
Everyone can become infected with the virus. The thing is the infection it’s self is very mild. Many people don’t even realize it when they catch this virus. The story is different for babies born to moms who had this infection during pregnancy. The moms might not have gotten too sick but the baby might be born with birth defects.
Thanks for leaving feedback.
Hi Denise! Finally a clarifying article about zika virus, thank you! 🙂
I really feel like media should be much more focused on serious viruses and problems in the world. It was really a hunt to get proper informations…
Do you think people should rethink the idea of having a baby?
Keep up the good work! 🙂
Adam
Hi Adam,
I will put a hold on having a baby if there was an outbreak in my area. Currently in the USA, it is not very rampant so I don’t think people should rethink the idea of having a baby. It’s complicated, the decision should be subjective. Thanks Adam for leaving me feedback.
A very informative article. Its really important that people are aware of this virus and how dangerous it can be especially if you are pregnant. Luckily, I don’t live in a country with these mosquitos but its still good to be aware. I hope they find a vaccine for Zika really soon. Thanks for a great article!