UK, US revise Zika advisories
March 2, 2016, 8:53 am

New health advisories say that pregnant women are most at risk of microcephaly in Zika-infected regions [Xinhua]

In the UK, Public Health England (PHE) and the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) cited growing evidence that the Zika virus directly causes microcephaly birth defects to warn pregnant women – or those hoping to get pregnant – not to travel to Brazil or Latin America.

Microcephaly is a condition where a baby is born with a much smaller head than average, occurs during pregnancy and has been linked to the Zika virus. Microcephaly can cause brain defects, and mental and physical disabilities.

What is the Zika virus?

In the meantime, a report published in the respected medical journal The Lancet indicated that the Zika virus may be linked to more than just microcephaly.

The report is based on findings from an investigation into the 2013-2014 outbreak in French Polynesia of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) – “a rare condition in which the body’s immune system attacks a part of the nervous system that controls muscle strength” in the arms and legs.

In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its guidance measures to prevent the “potential transmission risk of Zika virus from human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products (HCT/Ps)”.

The FDA says that the new guidance will govern donor eligibility (of such parts as bone, skin, corneas, heart valves, etc) used as part of medical, surgical, or reproductive procedures.

The new measures say that:

Donors should be considered ineligible if they were diagnosed with Zika virus infection, were in an area with active Zika virus transmission, or had sex with a male with either of those risk factors, within the past six months. Donors of umbilical cord blood, placenta, or other gestational tissues should be considered ineligible if they have had any of the above risk factors at any point during their pregnancy.

More and more US states are reporting the Zika virus, with some being attributed to sexual transmission and others to travelers returning from Latin America. There have been no reports of local Zika infections – namely, those from a bite by the Aedes mosquito.

The Zika virus has surfaced in New York, Maine, Colorado, Michigan, and Philadelphia, to name a few.

The Atlanta-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dispatched more than 30 doctors and medical experts to Puerto Rico where 117 Zika cases have been confirmed.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies