Zika–Microcephaly Link Established, Virus Spreading Fast; Pregnant Women Urged, Protect Fetus, Avoid Exposure to Virus
The link between the Zika virus infection and microcephaly has been established by a study published online very recently. Simon Cauchemez of the Institute Pasteur in France, one of the experts who spearheaded the study, confirmed the link, "Our analysis strongly supports the hypothesis that Zika virus infection during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of microcephaly."
The Lancet study was conducted using data from a Zika virus outbreak in French Polynesia from October 2013 to April 2014, a period when Zika virus infections coincided with increased occurrences of microcephaly births in the general population. Microcephaly is a condition wherein a baby is born with an abnormally small skull and brain.
Several scenarios were looked into, but the one in which the first trimester of pregnancy presented increased risk was most consistent. Prevalence of microcephaly in neonates was two in 10,000 cases while the risk of microcephaly births in those infected with the Zika virus was 95 cases in 10,000 pregnant women in their first trimester, or a one-in-100 risk.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Since the study was conducted after the outbreak, findings of the study can only be used to provide insights into other Zika outbreaks and may not apply to the experience of the infection in other countries.
Presently, the World Health Organization declared that the virus is spreading fast, having started in Brazil in 2014. While there are now some 40 countries in the Americas reporting transmission, Brazil has taken the worst, with an estimated 1.5 million people infected and a staggering 745 microcephaly births in women infected presumably during their first trimester of pregnancy, based on the study findings.
To avoid neonatal problems like microcephaly, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a travel alert and has warned pregnant women against traveling to South America, Central America, and Caribbean countries (Puerto Rico) where infections are rising. Part of the precautions issued also urge those in these countries to take measures in avoiding mosquitoes, which is the mode of transmission of the virus.
Repellants are also advised to avoid mosquito bites, recommending appropriate use according to their labels that contain DEET, picaridin, and IR3535 as safe for pregnant and nursing women as well as children older than two months. However, oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used in children under three years old.
Although sexual transmission of the virus has been reported, there have only been a few number of cases recorded. However, as a precaution, condom use up to a month from travel has been encouraged in the United Kingdom among those returning from countries where the Zika virus has spread.
As yet, there is no existing vaccine to prevent or treat Zika infection. And its symptoms are mild (low-grade fever, pink eye) such that it may not be evident even when a person is so infected; others are also asymptomatic.
