Just a few months ago, hardly anyone had heard of Zika.
Now, the virus is spreading rapidly
through Brazil, Central America and beyond. And there are growing
concerns that it may be associated with a birth defect called microcephaly.
As experts continue to investigate possible links between Zika and microcephaly,
we thought it would be useful to highlight five things worth knowing here,
especially if you're a woman living in a Zika affected area, or are considering visiting one.
One. Zika is primarily carried by mosquitoes. And not just any mosquito.
The primary culprit here is the species Aedes aegypti. It's a mosquito that loves
people, and it's also associated with diseases like dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya.
It hangs around inside our homes, as well as outside. It bites
during the day. It can breed in just a spoonful of standing water. And it's a
sip-feeder, meaning that it'll quite happily feast of a whole crowd of people,
spreading disease as it goes.
Using insect repellent and pesticides, covering up, and getting rid of places
where the mosquito can breed like small puddles or even a soda can, all reduce the
chances of being bitten.
Two. The links between Zika and microcephaly are not
yet certain but the evidence so far has got experts very worried. (Link is now certain) .
The big concern is that if you pregnant and become infected,
your child may be born with the condition as a result.
There's a lot we still don't know about the chances of having a child with
microcephaly if you get Zeeka. But experts are concerned enough that
they're urging people to act as if there is a reasonable risk, just in case.
Of course, Zika isn't the only cause of microcephaly. Even without Zika,
frfor every five thousand babies born in the US for example, there's a good chance that
one will have the condition. And there are indications that the pre-Zika
numbers are even higher in Brazil. What we don't yet know is how much higher the
chances of having a child with microcephaly might get as Zika spreads.
Three. Scary it might sound, having a child with microcephaly is not
the end of the world.
Microcephaly refers to babies that are born with a smaller than average head size.
Sometimes this can lead to severe disabilities. But often affects are
more manageable. if the microcephaly is really bad, your baby's brain might not develop
fully. This leads to a condition called severe microcephaly, and children born with it
need a lot of support from their parents and others. At the moment though, we don't know
how likely this extreme form of the condition is if you're exposed to Zika
while pregnant.
Less severe cases of microcephaly can lead to effect such as delays in
physical and mental development, learning disabilities, seizures, and
hearing and vision problems. These can sound scary and they can be challenging to live with.
But the good news is that people with them
can and do live full and active lives.
Four. One of the best ways of reducing the
chances of having a child with microcephaly, is safe sex.
This obviously doesn't work if you are planning to get pregnant. But a
surprising number of pregnancies are unplanned and unexpected. And it's
these whre safe sex and birth control can help reduce the risks
if you're exposed to Zika.
This becomes even more important amongst teenage girls, where the majority of
pregnancies are unplanned. Part of the problem is that, if you're not planning
to get pregnant, there's a reasonable chance that you won't even realize
you're pregnant for the first two or three months. Yet, these months are when
your child is most vulnerable to factors that can affect brain development,
including possibly Zika. Safe-sex using condoms in particular also helps guard
against getting Zika from someone who is already infected. And while experts
are still working out how serious this risk is, it's probably a case where safe
is definitely better than sorry.
Five. One of the best defenses against fear is good information from people who
know their stuff. Let's face it, Zika and microcephaly are concerning, especially as there's
so much we still don't know. And because of this, there's a very understandable
temptation to jump to conclusions and imagine the worst. Yet perhaps the
biggest danger here is getting caught up in imagined fears that aren't supported
by what we do know. Of course, it's not always easy to know who to trust when
rumors started flying around. But here's a rule of thumb you might find useful:
When you hear something about Zika and microcephaly, including the stuff in
this video,
ask yourself whether it makes sense, whether the source is credible, and
whether it's backed up by credible experts and organizations.
And if he answer's no, proceed with caution. And on that note, please do check
out the links in the blurb below for more information on Zika and microcephaly.
Many thanks to the fabulous team who helped pull together this week's video. And don't
forget to subscribe to Risk Bites. And as always, stay safe.