U.S. Health officials from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention are warning pregnant women to not travel to the Carribbean and across Latin America due to the Zika virus. The disease, which is transmitted through mosquitos could affect the fetus and may cause birth defects.
LIKE DailyVitamina.com on Facebook! Get Your Daily Vitamin…FOR LIFE!
Since December 2015, a locally transmitted case of Zika virus infection was detected in Puerto Rico. CDC recommends that travelers to affected areas in South America, Central America, the Caribbean, or Mexico protect themselves from mosquito bites.
There is no vaccine or medicine to prevent Zika virus infection. One of the few things travelers could do is protect themselves from preventing mosquito bites by doing the following:
- Cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
- Use an insect repellent approved by the Environmental Protection Agency as directed.
- Higher percentages of active ingredients provide longer protection. Use products with the following active ingredients:
- DEET (Products containing DEET include Off!, Cutter, Sawyer, and Ultrathon.)
- Picaridin (Also known as KBR 3023, Bayrepel, and icaridin. Products containing picaridin include Cutter Advanced, Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus, and Autan [outside the United States].)
- Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or PMD (Products containing OLE include Repel.)
- IR3535 (Products containing IR3535 include Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus Expedition and SkinSmart.)
- Use permethrin-treated clothing and gear (such as boots, pants, socks, and tents). You can buy pre-treated clothing and gear or treat them yourself.
-
- Clothing treated with permethrin remains protective after multiple washings. See the product information to find out how long the protection will last.
- If treating items yourself, follow the product instructions carefully.
- Do not use permethrin directly on skin.
- Stay and sleep in screened-in or air-conditioned rooms.
- Use a bed net if the area where you are sleeping is exposed to the outdoors.
Experts are afraid that the virus will spread more widely. Right now they know very little about the virus, which is a viral cousin of dengue fever, and no treatment exists. The most dangerous time is during the first trimester, when women might not even realize they are pregnant.
Microcephaly is one of the birth defects that can occur from the virus, which is an abnormally small head and brain, which can cause miscarriages, cause severe handicaps and even kill the babies. It’s also suspected to cause Guillain-Barra syndrome, a rare and dangerous reaction that occurs after viral infections. It’s also tied to Rubella, which is known as German measles.
Zika has been reported across Mexico, Latin America and Puerto Rico. Experts are afraid that it won’t be long before travelers bring the virus into warm regions in Texas, Florida and Louisiana.