Another pregnant woman infected with Zika
While Zika is not fatal, it has been associated with microcephaly or a condition wherein the head of the baby is abnormally small. AP/Andre Penner, File
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) is monitoring another pregnant woman infected with Zika virus, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said yesterday.
Ubial said the woman is from Laguna, aged 22, and in her fifth month of pregnancy.
It is the third case involving a pregnant woman. The first two cases were reported in Iloilo and Las Piñas.
Ubial said they are waiting for the results of the ultrasound to determine the condition of the patient’s baby.
“Since it’s a third trimester pregnancy, the risk is very small for microcephaly,” she said.
While Zika is not fatal, it has been associated with microcephaly or a condition wherein the head of the baby is abnormally small.
DOH spokesman Eric Tayag said the risk to babies is higher if the mother contracts the virus during the first trimester of pregnancy.
“All three pregnant cases got infected after their first trimester. There is a good probability that their babies will not be affected,” Tayag said.
He said they are monitoring the patients amid reports that babies born to mothers infected with Zika in Brazil developed the defects after they were born.
He reiterated the DOH’s call for the public to destroy mosquito-breeding places and use self-protection measures to prevent not only Zika, but also dengue and chikungunya. The diseases are caused by day-biting Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
- Latest
- Trending
