US Officials Warn Pregnant Travelers to Avoid Latin American Countries Including Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico

• comments
• 
• 

The Zika Outbreak in Latin America has been making headlines all over the Internet. Although it does not seem to be fatal for adult and children, it appears to be very dangerous for unborn babies.

This concerning development forced the U.S. health officials to issue a travel warning to several countries across South America.

According to a report by Reuters, the U.S. government urged pregnant women to cancel their trips as of the moment in countries such as Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, French Guiana, Honduras, Haiti, Martinique, Panama, Mexico, Suriname, Paraguay, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

Director Dr. Lyle Petersen of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vector-borne diseases department stated there have already been confirmed reports of Zika virus as cause of two women's miscarriage in Brazil, according to the Brazilian health authorities. The agency also confirmed that the virus was present in two infants who died shortly after birth. The babies were found to have microcephaly when they came out.

It was discovered that the Zika virus found in the two cases of miscarriage and two deceased infants is the same as the virus strain spreading across Brazil.

For pregnant women, the most dangerous stage to get infected with the virus is in the first and second trimester, which was the case of the two Brazilian women. However, according to Dr. Cynthia Moore of the CDC, there are also evidence that birth defects may occur in the later stage of the pregnancy, Latino Fox News reported.

The Zika virus that is currently becoming a problem in the countries affected is transmitted by a species of mosquitoes called Aedes aegypti. These are the same mosquitoes that spread dengue virus and chikungunya, which is pretty common in Florida, Texas and in other places of the U.S.

As of the moment, there is currently no vaccine available for Zika's prevention according to the CDC. The agency also said that since 2007, 26 cases of the virus were confirmed among Americans who travelled from Latin countries affected. Dr. Petersen also said that they are still testing specimens from people who became ill after their trip in South America.

According to a report by NBC, there is a possibility that the virus could reach the southern states of the United States. However, U.S. Health officials cited the country's weather condition will stop the spread. Apparently the virus could not stand the cold weather of North America.

There are also other countries in Asia and Africa who reported to have confirmed cases of the Zika virus.