Zika Virus: A potential threat to all mother's to be

#AllAboutHealth #ZikaVirus

I received a very informative article today about Zika virus and the stats worried me a little. It said that out of 544 Americans affected by Zika, 300 are pregnant women. Well, the numbers are very small considering population size but the % of pregnant women is really high.

The first thing that we need to know is that so far India is unaffected from this virus. The hot zones are Latin America, Pacific Islands and Africa. The second thing to know is that it spreads through mosquito bites and sexual transmission. Hence, if male partner has contracted it, it is highly likely that he may pass it on to females. And lastly, there are no vaccines or treatment available so far but Zika virus is not deadly. As per reports it goes away like in 2-3 weeks with simple symptomatic treatments. According to WHO, the list of symptoms for this are: 

• Fever and Rash
• Muscle and Joint Pain 
• Headache
• Pain behind the Eyes
• Conjunctivitis (itchy, red eyes)

The worst part of this virus is that in 80% cases no symptoms occur hence for most people there is no way to know if they have it.

Now the question that arises is that, if it is not deadly then why to worry?

Well to answer here, it is not deadly to you or your family but it is very dangerous for unborn children. Many organizations have taken out warnings saying that all pregnant women or likely to conceive women should avoid travel to infected zones. If the husband has traveled to these zones recently then also doctor should be consulted as it can be transmitted easily.

Unfortunately if mother-to-be contracts this virus then she can pass it to the unborn child. In certain cases fetus affected by Zika does not have any impact but there is always a chance that baby's head and brain may get impacted. Zika can cause microcephaly to the baby, which may cause mental retardation, as well as delays in speech, movement, and growth.

Given the severity of it to unborn children it is advised to take necessary precautions to save and protect future generation.

I know it is a good to know information but given I fall under the segment of 'mother to be' I felt it is important to share it further.

Hope you stay well and your kids do too.

Love and Cheers