Zika virus during pregnancy

-

The Zika virus is a flavivirus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This mosquito is also a vector of other infections such as dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya.

The infection by this virus is not serious and the symptoms are generally mild. However, if the infection occurs during pregnancy, the consequences for the fetus can be alarming.

Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article.

Index

Zika virus during pregnancy

The first cases of infection by Zika were in the 50s in tropical Africa, but since 2007 approximately new cases have been discovered in the Pacific and Southeast Asia and in 2015 the virus managed to strike Brazil.

Zika virus infection

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international alert for the spread of the virus, thus establishing a state of international health emergency in recent months.

Symptoms of Zika infection

When a person is infected by this virus does not necessarily develop Zika disease. In fact, approximately 75% of those infected do not know that they have been infected due to the absence of symptoms or the low severity of them.

Among the symptoms that may appear, we highlight the following:

  • Fever not very high (less than 38.5 ° C)
  • Joint and muscle pain
  • Mild joint inflammation
  • Maculopapular eruption (red spots with slight relief)
  • Redness of the eyes that can lead to conjunctivitis without pus
  • Headache
  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Fatigue

Normally, these symptoms appear in a slight degree so they are not given too much importance or are confused with symptoms of another pathology or alteration.

The most appropriate treatment is the one commonly adopted in the face of a cold or flu: consume plenty of fluid, rest and acetaminophen.



Microcephaly in newborns

As we can see, the symptoms of Zika infection are mild and pass after an incubation period of approximately 3 to 10 days. What really constitutes a threat and for what the authorities have established the state of emergency is the contagion in pregnant women.

Effects of Zika virus on fetal development

Although the direct relationship has not yet been demonstrated, the WHO intuits an alleged relationship between the increase in cases of microcephaly in neonates and Zika infection.

The WHO data indicate that there are currently 24 countries affected by this virus, with Brazil being the most affected by the epidemic. In this country, 1 million and a half infections and more than 4000 births of babies affected by microcephaly have been diagnosed.

Microcephaly is related to delay and loss of hearing and vision in newborns.

For now, Brazil is the only country in which the infection and the fetal malformation are related, but it is possible that this is due to the fact that the malformations have not yet been detected, since, being intrauterine, they can not be confirmed with confidence until the birth.


preimplantation genetic diagnosis in Madrid(Spain)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gonal-f pen: doses of 300, 450 and 900 - How does it apply?

-
Gonal-f is a hormonal drug used in assisted reproduction treatments to cause the development of multiple follicles in the ovary. It is composed of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a gonadotropin that acts in the menstrual cycle of women. There are several formats of Gonal-f in the market, but one of the best known is the one that is administered with a pen-type injector. Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index 1. Composition and presentation 2. Mode of administration 3. Questions from users 3.1. How should the pen of Gonal-f be preserved? 3.2. What is the use of the Gonal-f pen? 3.3. What happens if I miss a day of giving the dose of Gonal-f? 4. Recommended reading 5. Bibliography 6. Authors and collaborators Questions from users surrogate pregnancy in Tenerife(Spain)
Read more

Fertility treatments in the couple: how to get pregnant?

-
Image
According to the latest report of the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF), in 2016 were carried out 138,553 cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and 36,463 cycles of artificial insemination (AI), which resulted in a total of 37,503 babies born . This represents an increase of 8% in the use of assisted reproduction techniques with respect to the previous year, which shows that more and more couples need help to have the opportunity to become parents. After a year of sexual intercourse without achieving pregnancy, a couple is considered to have sterility problems, so it is advisable to start doing diagnostic tests and determine the most appropriate assisted reproduction treatment in each case, as we will discuss throughout this post. Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index 1. Custom fertility treatments 2. Artificial insemination (AI) 3. In vitro fertilization (IVF) 3.1. ICSI 3.2. DGP 4. Questions from users 4.1. How muc...
Read more

What is the purpose of the ovitrelle in a fiv treatment?

-
Image
Ovitrelle is a drug that contains recombinant hCG used in assisted reproduction to stimulate ovulation and thus favor pregnancy in the treatments of artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article. Index What is the ovitrelle for in an IVF treatment? 1. Composition 2. Instructions for use 3. Indications and contraindications 4. Risks and adverse effects 5. Ovitrelle and pregnancy test 6. Questions from users 6.1. Is it normal to give ovitrelle after the transfer of the embryos? 6.2. Does the ovitrelle advance the rule? 6.3. Does alcohol consumption negatively affect the effect of ovitrelle? 6.4. What is the price of the ovitrelle ?, does it go into social security? 6.5. Should it be kept in a refrigerator or at room temperature? Composition The active principle of ovitrelle is choriogonadotropin alfa, also called recombinant hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin). The qual...
Read more