What Pregnant Women Need to Know About Zika, Spring Break and Rio Olympics Travel

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Pregnant women or women who are planning to become pregnant should take extra care to protect themselves if they’re planning spring break or other travel to countries that have reported the Zika virus, health officials warn.

The best protection may be travel to an area where the virus isn’t active, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control advises, but that’s not always possible.

The second-best thing to do is to repel the Aedes mosquitoes that carry the disease that poses special risks for pregnant women. A mosquito becomes infected from biting a person already infected with the disease. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the Zika virus to other people through bites.

For most people, Zika isn’t a big deal and those bitten by infected mosquitoes will likely think they’ve got an ordinary bite.

Reports of a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly (a condition in which a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age) and other poor pregnancy outcomes in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant have occurred.

Until more information is known, The CDC recommends the following special travel precautions:

• Women who are pregnant (in any trimester):
• Consider postponing travel to any area where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.
• If you must travel to one of these areas, talk to a health care provider first and strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites during your trip.
• Before traveling, women who are trying to become pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant should talk to a health-care provider about the risks of Zika virus infection.

Because Zika virus can be transmitted sexually, men who have traveled to an area with Zika and have a pregnant partner should use condoms or not have sex during the pregnancy. If you must travel to an area where Zika virus is spreading, talk to your health care provider first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during your trip, Forzley said.

The CDC has posted travel notices for several countries and islands in Central and South America, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Additionally, the CDC said pregnant or about-to-become pregnant women should be careful if they’re planning to travel to Brazil for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics Aug. 5-21 or the Paralympic Games to be held Sept. 7-18.

More travel information is found here, but the areas where the Zika virus is active generally include:

• Zika Virus in Cape Verde
• Zika Virus in Mexico
• The Caribbean including: Aruba; Barbados; Bonaire; Cuba; Curaçao; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Guadeloupe; Haiti; Jamaica; Martinique; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a US territory; Saint Martin; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Sint Maarten; Trinidad and Tobago; US Virgin Islands
• Central America, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama
• The Pacific Islands, incuding American Samoa, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga
• South America, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay,Suriname, Venezuela

Follow these tips to protect you and your family from mosquito bites:

• Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellant. All EPA-registered insect repellants are evaluated for safety and effectiveness. Always follow the product label instructions.
• Wear protective clothing such as long-sleeved shirts and pants.
• Avoid outdoor activities when mosquitoes are most active.
• Avoid areas where mosquitoes may be present.
• Maintain window and door screens to keep mosquitoes out of buildings. Do not prop open doors.
• Get rid of mosquito breeding sites by removing standing water around your home:
• Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover or throw out items that hold water such as tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpots, roof gutters or trash containers.

The most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Symptoms typically begin two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.