As Zika danger wanes, travel warnings are eased for pregnant women

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

ATLANTA — U.S. and international health officials are easing warnings against travel to regions with Zika virus because the threat has diminished markedly since the virus began to sweep across the globe four years ago.

The World Health Organization designated Zika a global health emergency in 2016, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told women who were pregnant or might become pregnant to stay away from nearly 100 countries or regions. The mosquito-borne virus can cause severe birth defects.

Last month, the CDC downgraded its warning; a spokeswoman said the WHO will soon follow with similar, less-restrictive travel recommendations. Officials said the disease has died down in most of the world — although they think it is still circulating at a much lower level.

The new CDC guidelines urge women who are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant to talk to their health-care providers about potential Zika risks before traveling. But with spring and summer travel season approaching, clinicians say it is not clear how women and their doctors can get the best information.

Until Zika, there had never been a mosquito-borne virus that could cause serious birth defects on such a large scale. Among the most devastating consequences of Zika is microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains. The danger to a developing fetus is most severe during the first and second trimesters of pregnancy.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/03/20/zika-danger-wanes-travel-warnings-are-eased-pregnant-women/?utm_term=.ed625a2ca9eb&wpisrc=al_news__alert-hse--alert-national&wpmk=1

[Clash City Rocker]

1. Thanks for this

We have a timeshare in Cancun, but haven’t been there for a couple years because of the Zika scare. We were approaching the point of “we don’t care, we’re going regardless,” and this article makes the decision easier.