Zika Shocker: Women Advised to Avoid Getting Pregnant

Admitting that attempts to stop Zika-related birth defects aren't working, the World Health Organization is now advising women to delay pregnancy until the Zika threat has passed. 

Noting that a Zika vaccine is a long way off, and efforts to minimize the spread of the mosquito-borne virus aren't very successful, the W.HO. concludes the best way to protect children from being born with horrific birth defects is to not get pregnant in the first place. 

The stunning announcement is being met with overwhelming support from the medical community in the United States and elsewhere, many of whom feel the warning doesn't go far enough.

The W.H.O. advisory is aimed at women living in areas where the Zika virus is circulating.  That includes 46 countries in the Western Hemisphere, including parts of the United States such as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.  An estimated five million babies are born in these areas each year.

Health officials are closely watching areas of the continental U.S. near Zika-affected areas, such as southern border states, as possible new sites of Zika outbreaks. 

The New York Times reports Dr. Peter J. Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston asked, "What happens when Zika hits Texas and the Gulf Coast this summer?"

Regarding the W.H.O. recommendation that women in Zika-affected countries delay pregnancy, Hotez said, "It's about time."

The Times also reports Dr. William Schaffner, head of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, called the W.H.O.'s advice "excellent."

Dr. Celso Granato, a virologist at the Federal University of São Paulo,  reportedly commended the W.H.O. advisory. "At this moment, what we know for sure is that the infection of the fetus may be catastrophic," he said, "so I think that all the possible ways to avoid these situations have to be taken."

So far about 1,500 babies have been born with devastating Zika-related birth defects.  Chief among these is microcephaly, a condition where the infant is born with an abnormally small head, and a brain that has not been fully formed, resulting in severe brain damage and other health problems such as poor vision and difficulty with movement.  

The country with the worst Zika outbreak and the highest number of Zika-related birth defects is Brazil, site of the Summer Olympic Games in just two months.  The event will draw people from around the world, who, health officials fear will contract the Zika virus in Brazil then spread it in their native country upon returning after the Olympics.

Zika can be spread through sexual contact.  Also, mosquitoes who bite an infected person can spread it by biting someone else. 

Men visiting Zika-infected countries are being advised to wear a condom for at least six months.

The exact wording of the W.H.O. advisory calls for men and women of reproductive age to "be correctly informed and oriented to consider delaying pregnancy."  

Some health officials think the warning should be more emphatic, clearly stating that pregnancy should be avoided. 

Like the W.H.O., the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta takes a softer tone, leaving pregnancy decisions to the discretion of the individuals, saying medical professionals in areas with Zika transmission "should discuss the risks of Zika, emphasize ways to prevent Zika virus infection, and provide information about safe and effective contraceptive methods."