Zika

[Archie1982]

Second post....still can’t sleep.

Has anyone on here had concerns about zika?

I am 14 weeks pregnant. Just before I fell pregnant I was in a few countries which fall under the moderate risk for zika (Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand). I did get bitten by mosquitos, but had no zika symptoms (75% of those who get it do not show symptoms though).

I was told off by a midwife for having fallen pregnant within six months of being in a zika country.....and another midwife put me at ease by saying that the risk would be very low.

Has anyone else had these concerns? They have said that a scan later in the pregnancy can check for microcephaly.

I imagine the risk must be very low. I live in Mexico and we have the zika virus here and I haven't heard of any widespread birth defects.

I was India earlier this year and when I returned I found out I was pregnant. They have a moderate risk of zika. I was worried for weeks as the NHS will not test you for this. I paid for a test privately, £86, and all was fine. Everyone told me beforehand the risk was low but I could not help but worry xx

I conceived and spent half of my pregnancy in a country with (at the time) multiple zika outbreaks.

My ObGyn said that the risk of being bitten by a zika mosquito and it transmitting the disease was already really low, the risk of me then getting I'll and transferring the disease to my baby was very, very tiny. That you obviously want to mitigate that risk as much as possible but to not overly worry.

Around 12 weeks I had a mosquito bite and asked to be tested. The test was negative and my pregnancy progressed perfectly.

Try not to worry yourself over this. During my pregnancy several women were reported as being pregnant with zika in the country where I was living. The press followed their pregnancies and all the babies were fine.

I chose to go to Vietnam whilst pregnant as after looking at the stats I felt I was more at risk for everyday things like driving my car.

There had been 1 microcephaly related case in the last 4 years in Vietnam, they have about 1.5 mill babies born each year. There have been a few hundred reported cases of Zika. The country didn't seem concerned about it and they continue to live their lives normally. The rest of SE Asia stats are similar. I went to Thailand last time I was pregnant at the height of the Zika chaos.

I asked for a blood test this time just to be sure as I picked up a few bites in Ho Chi Minh where Zika was a little more widely reported. Came back clear anyway. MW wasn't concerned.

Also, Zika has been around in SE Asia since the 60s. It's only become a "thing" since all the microcephally cases in Brazil, but there is no conclusive evidence that it was definitely the Zika virus. Even if it was, Zika has different strains and the one in SE Asia has so few links to microcephaly that those cases could have just as likely been caused by something else or just been an standard pregnancy defect.

Not a doctor! Just did a lot of research before I went so you make up your own mind. Book yourself a couple of extra scans or ask for a blood test to check the antibodies (you will have to say you had some symptoms to get it on NHS) or book privately for £400.

They will measure your babies head at all scans.

Congrats on the pregnancy 😀 try to chill out. X

I lived overseas and was moved back by work when pregnant due to zikia exposure. Zikia exposure can be symptomless. Tell midwife. They should book you extra scans to track the growth. I and mine at 28 weeks onwards to ensure the brain and skull were developing correctly. The risks in your position are minimal but you need to make sure you get the extra scans booked simply for checks.