Paraíba state has its first pregnant woman infected by Zika in 2022
The state of Paraíba, northeast Brazil, reported its first case of a pregnant woman infected with the Zika virus in 2022.
The virus is the main cause of microcephaly in babies. As it stands today, no treatment is available for pregnant women to reduce the chances of the baby being born with the malformation.
Cases of infected pregnant women have already been reported elsewhere in Brazil this year. In April, health authorities in Goiás, in the Central-West, confirmed two cases.
People infected with the virus may not notice it, as the disease is silent in 80 percent of the cases. As a result, women must redouble their attention regarding prenatal monitoring, says Professor Marizélia Ribeiro, pediatrician and researcher at the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA).
“Pregnant women talk to the doctor or nurse doing prenatal care to learn what kind of repellent she can use, and how often. She should not use it without guidance, as it may be dangerous to her health as well as the baby’s.”
The main mode of transmission of the virus, research institute Fiocruz declared, is the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also transmits dengue fever and chikungunya. But there are other ways the virus can be transmitted to pregnant women, the pediatrician warned.
“Research has shown that the virus can also be transmitted through sexual intercourse, so pregnant women need to wear protection. Sometimes, their partner may not show any signs, [may not have] the spots, the fever, and he may have the Zika virus, which is what we saw in the epidemic of 2015 and 2016”, Professor Ribeiro noted.
