It seems incredible that with the control that we have everything today during pregnancy there are still things that affect fetuses and, consequently, babies born today. In Brazil they were born more than 1,200 babies with microcephaly (small head) because of Zika virus, and WHO has already issued an alert in this regard.
The fault is the Aedes aegypti mosquito
He Zika virus It is transmitted by the mosquito bite Aedes aegypti, also bearer of dengue and Chikungunya. To date, the virus has been detected in countries in the Americas: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Suriname and Venezuela. When he arrived in Brazil earlier this year the authorities did not give much importance because the symptoms of this virus did not seem too severe: low fever, red spots on the body and some itching. However, it has been seen that The virus is related to the epidemic of babies with microcephaly, which has affected 1,248 babies so far this year, and this makes it suddenly become something to keep in mind.
Microcephaly?
Cases of microcephaly in Brazil they were being up to a year ago of 5 per 100,000. Currently, cases have increased to a worrying 100 per 100,000. And it is worrying because it is not an aesthetic problem, but a cranial malformation in which the perimeter is less than it should be, to the point of prevent the correct development of the nervous system. This can cause the cognitive and psychomotor development of the baby to be affected.
As explained by the neuropediatrician Paulo Breinis in El Mundo, it is suspected that the Zika virus crosses the placenta and feeds on the amniotic fluid in which the baby grows, affecting his brain formation.
In addition, there have been three cases of death from the virus, two adults and a newborn, cases that have accelerated investigations in order to know better how Zika works once it enters the human body of adults, children and pregnant women.
Recommendations to avoid mosquito bites
Until more is known how the virus works and how to counteract it, the most important thing is to prevent it from entering the body, to be transmitted by the mosquito, so WHO recommends use mosquito nets, clothes that cover the extremities, the use of repellents and avoid stagnant water near homesWell, that's where the mosquito reproduces.
