Published:Wednesday | January 13, 2016
HOW DOES ZIKA VIRUS AFFECT PREGNANT WOMEN AND FOETUSES?
Pregnant women have the same risk as the rest of the population of being infected with zika virus, which is transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes egypti mosquitoes. Many women are unaware they have the virus, as they may not develop any symptoms. Only one in four people infected with ZIKV develop symptoms and, in those with symptoms, the illness is usually mild.
The most common symptoms are slight fever and exantema, or rash. ZIKV also can cause conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, and general malaise, which begins two to seven days after the bite of an infected mosquito.
Research is being done to determine what effects ZIKV can have on foetuses. Last November, the Ministry of Health of Brazil established a relationship between an increase in cases of microcephaly in newborns and Zika-virus infections in the country’s northeast.
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According to a preliminary analysis of research carried out by Brazilian authorities, the greatest risk of microcephaly and malformations appears to been associated with infection during the first trimester of pregnancy. Health authorities, with support from PanAmerican Health Organization (PAHO), and other agencies, are conducting research to clarify the cause, risk factors, and consequences of microcephaly.
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