Virus Leads To Two-Year Pregnancy Warning

 

Health officials in El Salvador have warned women against falling pregnant as authorities struggle to control the spread of a mosquito-borne virus linked to severe birth defects.

Vice-minister of public health Eduardo Espinoza urged women to put off pregnancy until 2018 to avoid the risk of passing on the Zika virus to their children.
"We'd like to suggest to all the women of fertile age that they take steps to plan their pregnancies, and avoid getting pregnant between this year and next," he said.
Although the research is still underway, there is significant evidence to suggest a link between the virus and a spike in the number of cases of microcephaly, a neurological defect in newborns.
Babes suffering from the condition have smaller than normal heads, preventing their brains from developing properly.
Travel warnings are in place to over a dozen countries as the virus continues its rampage through South and Central America.
Brazil and Colombia are the worst-affected, although 5,397 cases were detected in El Salvador alone in 2015 and the first few days of this year, Mr Espinoza said.
He also urged women who are already pregnant to stay covered outdoors to reduce the risk of mosquito bites.
The warning comes shortly after Colombia also advised women against falling pregnant, but only for six to eight months.
There are 96 suspected cases of pregnant women contracting the virus in El Salvador.
None have so far had babies born with microcephaly.
Last week a baby born with microcephaly in Hawaii became the first newborn to test positive for the Zika virus on US soil. It is understood the mother contracted the virus while in Brazil.
It is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is also known to carry the dengue, yellow fever and Chikungunya viruses.
Common symptoms can last up to a week and include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis.
First discovered in Africa in 1947, the Zika virus was unknown in the Americas until last year.
Health experts are unsure what is causing its recent, rapid spread.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is advising women to postpone travel to 14 affected nations.
They are as follows: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.