Don’t get
pregnant until 2018. That is the
current public health message from El Salvador’s health minister. Colombian
women are warned to postpone pregnancy for 6 to 8 months. Jamaica just released
similar advice. The intent is to prevent mother-to-baby transmission of Zika. The
mosquito-borne virus
known since 1947 as a rare mild disease limited to central Africa, is spreading
rapidly across dozens of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. No one
knows why. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns Zika is likely to reach
every country in the Americas, except Canada and Chili. There is no treatment
or vaccine, largely because only about 20 percent of infected adults have any
symptoms. They might have a headache, body aches, a fever and red eyes for a
few days. Here is the public health concern: in Brazil, since an outbreak of Zika
started there last May, more than 3800 babies have been born with microcephaly,
30 times the expected rate, according to WHO. Microcephaly is a rare birth
defect characterized by a very small head and incomplete brain development
leading to death or lifelong disability. There is little scientific evidence,
but the apparent association between Zika and microcephaly warrants public
health warnings, and delaying pregnancy seems wise. However… The advice to women to avoid
pregnancy ignores the context in which they are expected to comply. In El Salvador and
Colombia there is little access to contraception, especially for poor rural
women. Abortion is illegal in all cases in El Salvador, where the teen
pregnancy rate is among the highest in Latin America accounting for a third of
all births. Abortion is illegal in
99% of cases in Colombia. In Jamaica, abortion is legal in some cases with the
approval of the father and two medical specialists. There is little or no sex
education in the schools. Sexual violence is prevalent. So women lack the
knowledge, services and power to heed the advice. Good risk
communication? Colombia’s health minister explained that
his message to women is a good way to communicate risk. The minister seems to
forget that women do not become pregnant by themselves. No similar messages
have been directed to men. For sure, women who hear the warning will fear
pregnancy and birth defects more than they already do, but left to protect
themselves, this amounts to a “Just say No” campaign. It leaves women
vulnerable to blame for unplanned pregnancy and birth defects in their babies,
and to charges of non-compliance that could be misinterpreted as evidence of
low health literacy. Don’t get
bit A
better message, free of gender bias, understandable and actionable, is to avoid
mosquito bites. CDC has issued Level 2 travel advisories (for all, not just pregnant women) for
the Caribbean, South and Central America, Puerto Rico, Cape Verde, Samoa and
Mexico. Travelers are advised to “practice enhanced precautions”.
In this case, •
see
your doctor before and after travel to areas where Zika is active •
Use
insect repellant (safe and effective for pregnant women) •
Wear
clothing to cover as much of your body as possible •
Sleep
under a mosquito net •
Keep
doors and windows closed or screened •
Avoid
standing water Important
Notes: The offending
mosquitos bite in the morning, not just late afternoon and evening like other
skeeters. The infection
lasts only a week or less. The danger is only to a current pregnancy. There is no danger to future
pregnancies. Resources: US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/zika. Information is being updated
regularly |
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CategoriesBeginnings GuidesBreastfeeding Health Education Health Literacy Parenting Education Prenatal Education |
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