by Jeanete Duazo
Eagle News Service Canada Bureau
(Eagle News) — The Public Health Agency of Canada has confirmed the country’s first case of Zika-related defects in a fetus, withholding further information for privacy reasons. It has however, confirmed that the fetus had severe congenital neurological anomalies.
This is the second Canadian case of maternal-to-fetus transmission occurred in a baby that was confirmed to have the virus and the first to which has been linked to serious birth defects that include microcephaly where babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains to mothers who were infected while pregnant. The first Canadian case of maternal-to-fetus transmission occurred in a baby that was confirmed to have the virus, but did not have related birth defects and so far appears normal.
Zika is primarily transmitted by the Aedes mosquito which is a daytime-biting insects most active in the morning and late afternoon and is not endemic in Canada. Mosquitoes transmitting Zika have recently been found in a part of Miami, Florida, in the United States of America.
This prompted Canada’s Public Health Agency to warn pregnant women to avoid traveling to Miami, Florida and/or to areas with Zika outbreaks. Zika virus is occurring in many regions of the world. The World Health Organization released updated lists of countries, as of August 11, 2016, where there is reported mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission in their Zika situation report: http://www.who.int/emergencies/zika-virus/situation-report/11-august-2016/en/
They also say that men who are travelling should also be aware of the risks. Men who have travelled to Zika-infected areas should consider condoms or avoid having sex for six months to avoid transmitting the virus to partners. Women who also have travelled to areas with Zika outbreaks should wait at least two months before trying to conceive.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States to provide Canadian with the most up to date information as it becomes available and releases updated travel health notice.
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