Prof. Eli Schwartz, a senior physician at the Center for Travel Medicine and Tropical Diseases in Sheba and the Zika Clinic Center at the hospital, explains in an interview to Mako Health because the woman was aware of the risks involved in traveling during pregnancy to areas infected with the virus, and had even consulted a doctor beforehand. However, strangely, even though it is a virus that is transmitted, as mentioned, through mosquito bites, according to her the same doctor explained to her that maintaining hygiene rules and drinking clean water will prevent the infection, which did not help in preventing the infection in practice.
According to him, these days she is expected to undergo an amniocentesis as well as an ultrasound in order to find out if the fetus has been infected with the virus, and if there are preliminary signs of any damage to its brain. The professor emphasizes that if it turns out that the fetus is infected with the virus, the recommendation will be to terminate the pregnancy. “In such a case, there is a great chance of neurological damage to the fetus, so this is the recommendation in such cases,” he explains.
The professor points out that even negative test results will not guarantee that the baby is not infected with the virus. “Unfortunately, we don’t have enough reliable tests that can give a definite negative answer, so we need to continue monitoring throughout the pregnancy, and even after the birth, it will be necessary to continue monitoring and testing the baby for the virus.”
According to him, there is evidence from Brazil that among children of mothers who contracted the virus while pregnant, those newborns suffered in the following years a relatively high rate of neurological disorders such as epilepsy, hearing and vision disorders. This is despite the fact that no fetal damage was recorded during the pregnancy.
The professor also notes that in the last two years there has been an increase in the number of people infected with the Zika virus. “The great outbreak began in South America in 2015, and from there it spread to the rest of Latin America and the countries of the Far East in Asia. In 2016, the World Health Organization declared the virus a global pandemic. When the corona entered our lives, and laboratory resources were directed to its examination, the reports in the endemic countries about the Zika virus stopped, And the public got the impression that the disease disappeared from the world, but in the last two years, with the return For travel around the world, there has been an increase in reports of cases of infection with the virus.”
The virus that is especially dangerous for fetuses
The Zika disease is mainly transmitted by the bites of Aedes mosquitoes Those infected with the virus, in Israel these mosquitoes are called the Asian tiger. It is usually a mild or asymptomatic disease, and it can be manifested by fever, rash, joint pain or inflammation of the eyelids. According to the Ministry of Health, in rare cases, there may be neurological complications (such as Guillain-Barré syndrome). The main fear of the disease stems from its possible effect on the development of the fetus, due to the fact that a connection has been found between infection among pregnant women and miscarriages and birth defects among newborns, including limited brain development.
The only means of protection is the use of mosquito repellents – and even this does not protect 100 percent
In order to prevent infection with the virus, the professor clarifies that “most of the cases we encounter in recent years occur in Thailand, because it is a popular destination among Israelis, but it is important to emphasize that the virus is common in all Eastern countries as well as in Latin America.” According to him, since there is no vaccine for the virus, the only means of protection is the use of mosquito repellents, which can reduce the chance of getting infected, but it does not fully protect against the virus. By the way, he points out that this mosquito bites during the day and therefore because due to the weather conditions and the heavy heat in the areas in question, the travelers are wearing short clothes which makes it difficult to avoid being bitten.
“Our recommendation for pregnant women is to try to avoid visiting areas where there is a known outbreak of the virus, and if you do travel, then you must use protective measures against mosquitoes at any given moment. We also recommend that anyone who has returned from countries endemic for the virus and is pregnant, get tested for Zika. Even if there are no symptoms, because injury to the fetus can occur even without symptoms,” says Prof. Schwartz. He adds that it is important that the partner also comes to be tested since there is a possibility of infection also through sexual contact between the couple. “For couples who wish to get pregnant, it is recommended to wait three months from the moment they return from traveling to areas infected with the virus, until they try to get pregnant or get tested for the virus beforehand, then there is no need for a waiting period.”