The Zika virus is less likely to cause severe birth defects in babies when women get the infection during the third trimester of pregnancy, a new report suggests.
But even if you’re in the late stages of pregnancy, don’t throw caution to the wind just yet. The preliminary findings from the study published in The New England Journal of Medicine are just that, preliminary. There is still a lot scientists don’t know about the virus and its effects.
Researchers examined data on 1,850 women in Colombia who contracted Zika during pregnancy. About a third of the women reportedly got the infection during their third trimester. None of the latter group gave birth to a baby with microcephaly or other noticeable birth defects.
That’s hopeful news, but not enough to discount any threat from Zika during late pregnancy.
For one, the researchers haven’t completed their study and some of the women infected during the third trimester haven’t given birth yet. Also, they didn’t know the precise date each woman contracted Zika, so some trimester data may not be accurate.
Even if the risk of microcephaly is low, Zika may cause other problems in the third trimester of pregnancy that aren’t immediately noticeable. Scientists have tied Zika to a variety of brain, vision and hearing problems. It could also create pregnancy complications such as miscarriages or stillbirths.
As Margaret Honein of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told NPR: “There is still a lot that we need to know.”
In the meantime, recommendations for preventing Zika – such as avoiding travel to infested areas – remain in effect for women in all stages of pregnancy.
Have you been following the news about Zika? What do you think of this latest study?
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