If you’re enjoy me — pregnant and heading in to a southeast Louisiana summer — your days have actually most likely been spent pondering daycares, diapers and the hysteria surrounding the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus. It’s been linked to serious birth defects such as microcephaly, a condition that can easily severely affect a baby’s brain development and induce an abnormally small head. There’s no vaccine or treatment for the condition.
Although a total of 691 cases of Zika have actually been diagnosed in the continental United States, along with four of those in Louisiana, there’ve been no cases of people infected here through mosquito bites. Still, several experts believe it’s simply a matter of time prior to the U.S. begins to see local transmissions.
And that’s enough to send any type of mommy-to-be in to a panic as we enter the prime mosquito season in Louisiana.
To calm my paranoia and get hold of a few answers for myself and my fellow sisters along with buns in the oven, I turned to my own ob-gyn, Dr. George “Jody” Morris IV, Ochsner Medical Center’s vice chairman of women’s health; Dr. Obinna Nnedu, an infectious disease specialist and director of Ochsner’s travel clinic; and Joel Keehn, the healthiness and meals editor and mosquito repellent specialist at Consumer Reports. along with their help, I chance to answer almost every question an expectant mother or a woman planning to get hold of pregnant could have actually concerning Zika. And remember, I said almost.
What are the confirmed methods that Zika is spread?
Mosquito bites are the primary form of transmission for the Zika virus, Nnedu said. It’s spread by the Aedes aegypti and the Aedes albopictus mosquitos, both really common in Louisiana, according to the state Department of healthiness and Hospitals.
The virus can easily also be spread by men through sexual contact, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Manage and Prevention. There have actually been documented cases of infected men passing the virus on to their partner, however the agency doesn’t know whether infected women can easily spread the disease. Researchers have actually never detected the virus in vaginal swabs of infected women.
There has actually been some chatter on the Internet concerning Zika being spread by a kiss. The thoroughly unromantic notion evolved from studies that found the virus in saliva. There’s no scientific evidence Zika can easily be transmitted from kissing, Nnedu said, however he and various other doctors have actually said there has to be a lot more research on the matter.
Doctors and healthiness officials are, however, confident that an infected pregnant woman can easily pass the Zika virus to her unborn child.
What do we know concerning Zika and exactly how it affects pregnancy?
Unfortunately, not a lot. Officials can’t say simply exactly how most likely it is for a pregnant woman to get hold of the virus if she’s exposed to it. They additionally don’t know when, throughout pregnancy, the virus is passed to the fetus or exactly how regularly Zika is spread between an infected mother and fetus.
They don’t know the opportunities of a fetus producing birth defects if infected along with Zika. Nor do they know throughout which stage of development the virus induces problems.
The Centers for Disease Manage and Prevention confirmed a link between the Zika virus throughout pregnancy and microcephaly. Researchers documenting the outbreak in Brazil have actually additionally noted various other fetal brain defects such as eye problems, hearing loss and impaired growth.
The answers are few since there simply isn’t enough research being done. healthiness officials say they necessity a lot more data to have the ability to understand the disease and exactly how it impacts babies.
What are the opportunities of catching Zika in Louisiana? (Or, exactly how much ought to I be freaking out right now?)
Calm down, mommies, is the message from the Ochsner doctors. “We haven’t seen local transmissions in the United States at this point. If you follow the precautions, your risk is really low,” Morris said.
By “local transmissions,” Morris is referring to cases spread directly by mosquito bite. “The cases we’ve seen in the U.S. are people that acquired it overseas and brought it spine here,” Nnedu said.
Louisiana has actually seen four travel-associated Zika cases. Our neighbors in Texas have actually reported 40, Mississippi has actually seen three, there were two reported in Alabama and 17 in Georgia. Florida has actually documented 132 travel cases of Zika as of June 8, according to the Centers for Disease Manage and Prevention.
But the virus has actually been spread by mosquitos in the U.S. territories: 1,259 cases reported in Puerto Rico, 21 each in the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
“Right now, there’s no need for pregnant women living in Brand-new Orleans or living in Louisiana to be concerned,” Nnedu said. “The local healthiness department has actually been quite proactive in monitoring the mosquito population to look for any type of signs of pathogens such as Zika virus.”
So what’s the very best method to protect myself?
Morris and the ob-gyns at Ochsner are giving their patents four easy hints to protect themselves versus feasible Zika infection:
- Don’t travel to Zika-infected areas if you are pregnant or preparing to get hold of pregnant. In addition to the U.S. territories explained above, the virus is actively spreading via mosquito in Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. If you have actually a vacation planned there in the next few months, you’re strongly advised to delay travel.
- Try to continue to be in air-conditioned areas or screened-in patios or porches.
- Wear long sleeves and loose pants to protect from bites. Yes, Morris said, he knows it’s hot out there.
- Wear mosquito repellent.
What’s the very best mosquito repellent out there?
Morris and healthiness officials wouldn’t name names, referring as opposed to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. “If it’s an EPA-approved repellent, use it. That’s Just what we’re telling all of our patients,” Morris said.
Not one to take no for an answer, I reached out to Keehn at Consumer Reports for the results of the publication’s most recent mosquito repellent tests. Volunteers rolled up their sleeves, literally, and stuck their forearms in to mosquito-filled tanks for 5 minutes every hour for eight hours – no reapplying repellent, Keehn said. The product at the top of Consumer Reports’ list made no bites throughout that time.
- Sawyer Picaridin insect repellent — Held off the mosquitos for eight hours. Its energetic ingredient is picaridin, a synthetic compound that occurs in black pepper plants, Keehn said.
- Ben’s 30% Deet Tick & Insect Wilderness Formula — Held off the Aedes mosquito for 7 1/2 hours. Deet is the energetic ingredient. (Deet is the common name for the chemical N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide.)
- Repel Lemon Eucalyptus -– Held off Aedes mosquito for seven hours. The energetic ingredient, oil of eucalyptus, is an hybrid of naturally occurring plant oils synthesized to make them extra concentrated, Keehn said.
Rounding out the fourth and fifth spots are Natrapel 8, an additional picaridin-based repellent, and Off! Deepwoods, a deet repellent. Both kept mosquitos away for eight hours. They didn’t rank greater since the examinations additionally included results for tick bites.
All of the repellents tested by Consumer Reports are EPA-approved.
Come on: It’s truly safe for a pregnant woman to slather on these chemicals every day?
If the repellent is EPA-approved, it is considered safe for use even by pregnant women, healthiness officials said. Morris recommended applying repellent if you know you’re going to be outside and exposed to mosquitos.
Most Louisianans know the unofficial state bird tends to come out at dusk. however the Aedes mosquito munches all day long. “It’s an aggressive day feeder,” Morris said.
He didn’t recommend using a repellent if you know you’re going to be at residence or working inside of a primarily air-conditioned building.
Consumer Reports suggests sticking along with a repellent that is 30 percent or much less deet for safety concerns. greater concentrations can easily induce edge effects such as skin irritation. however Nnedu said it’s safe to use products along with up to a 40 percent concentration.
Always used repellents as directed. If using sunscreen, put it on prior to the repellent.
A note on “natural” mosquito repellents
Both Morris and Keehn advised avoiding “natural” bug repellents and remedies. I’ll not name names on which to avoid, however you can easily check out Consumer Report’s repellent ratings. The products that gained the the publication’s cut have actually naturally occurring chemicals however are synthesized for a lot more effectiveness.
“We are not recommending natural repellents or homeopathic methods,” Morris said.
Keehn could talk only concerning the natural repellents tested by Consumer Reports. “Most of those,” he said, “simply didn’t job quite well. Most of them failed in the very first hour.”
He recognizes that some pregnant woman worry not simply concerning Zika however the potential risk of the ingredients they’re using in the repellents. “It’s understandable they’ll have actually a tendency to hope to opt for a natural type of repellent or citronella-based,” he said. “The essential thing as quickly as you hope to protect yourself versus Zika or any type of various other disease is to opt for the one that works.”
How necessary is it for my considerable various other to take similar mosquito precautions? (Or, ought to he listen as quickly as I tell him or her to put on some repellent?)
Yes, the doctors confirmed: If you are a pregnant woman or a woman considering getting pregnant, feel free to nag your man to take the same precautions that you are. (Well, perhaps they didn’t put it exactly that way.)
Considering that the disease can easily be passed by men through sexual contact, the Centers for Disease Manage and Prevention recommended men follow the same mosquito prevention steps. If a male partner travels to a spot along with Zika, the agency recommends the couple use condoms every time or abstain from sex throughout pregnancy.
“I believe it’s necessary for everyone to take precautions, both men and women,” Nnedu said.
What are the symptoms of Zika?
In adults, Zika is a rather mild disease along with no lasting effects if you aren’t pregnant. several people never even create symptoms and don’t know they’ve been infected. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, muscle or joint pain, headache, conjunctivitis (red eye) and vomiting.
To learn a lot more concerning the Zika virus, visit the Centers for Disease Manage and Prevention website.
