An epidemic that tends to affect unborn children has caused Brazilian health officials to some drastic solution such as urging women to delay or not get pregnant.

According to the New York Times, the increasing number of babies born with significantly tiny brains has alarmed health officials; hence, they warned pregnant women to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes at all cost. Obstetricians in Brazil went as far as advising women not to get pregnant during this time. A brain damage called microcephaly is known to be the cause by the Zika virus, an epidemic that only affected Latin America this year.

 

In a report by CNN, Angela Rocha of the Oswaldo Cruz Hospital said, "It's a very personal decision, but at this moment of uncertainty, if families can put off their pregnancy plans, that's what we're recommending."

In Brazil, at least 20 states have been affected by the Zika virus with at least 2,400 cases of suspected microcephaly. The number has significantly increased compared to last year's 147 cases, 29 of which resulted to infant deaths. An investigation is being launched in order to confirm whether the infant deaths have all been caused by the Zika virus. The Zika virus symptoms during early pregnancy include rashes, mild fever and severe headaches.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has issued warning on the outbreak, saying that the first case of the said epidemic has been found in Brazil and some isolated cases have been spotted on returning travelers to the U.S. The mosquito species that are known to be the carrier of the Zika virus are commonly found in Florida and along the Mexican border. However, several experiments reveal that they still don't have the pathogen to infect others.

Dr. Marco Collovati, founder of the Orange Life, said that they are still unable to resolve whether the epidemic has been caused by the Zika virus only or a combination of Zika, dengue and chikungunya.

Unfortunately, microcephaly is undetectable during pregnancy, especially before the third trimester. If detected, it will be too late and has already affected the unborn child.

In Brazil, abortion is illegal and is not available for those who wish to terminate their pregnancy after getting affected by the Zika virus.

Lately, Brazil's weather has been a mix of hot and rainy weather all due to the El Niño phenomenon. Officials sees this as a risk for mosquitoes to spread the virus.Dr. Collovati said that this could lead to a big mess, considering that the upcoming Rio Olympics is just around the corner.