The World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday, Wednesday 10 February 2016 that “most women in areas affected by the Zika virus will give birth to normal children” while ultrasound tests cannot reliably detect microcephaly, except in extreme cases.
The WHO also stresses that safe sex practices for preventing transmission of the Zika virus include the correct and regular use of condoms, which the WHO considers to be the most effective method for protecting against sexually transmitted diseases. The Zika virus has been found in human semen and one recent study has identified a case of sexual transmission, according to the WHO.
A series of recommendations for pregnant women and women who wish to become pregnant in the affected areas is now available, to allay fears and reduce speculation about the risks.
“All the men and women who live in or come back from areas where the Zika virus is present, especially pregnant women and their partners, should receive counseling about the risks of sexual transmission in order to guarantee the practice of safe sex,” says the WHO.
The organization says that “the virus has been detected in breast milk but at present there is no evidence that it is transmitted to babies during breastfeeding.”
The Zika virus has been found in 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as more than 30 states in the United States.
