Via CBC News British Columbia: Zika virus: B.C. cases rise to 47 including 3 pregnant women. Excerpt:
The number of confirmed Zika cases continues to rise in B.C., with 47 people now diagnosed with the virus after travelling including three pregnant women, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
Zika is a virus that's carried and transmitted by mosquitos in a number of countries, including Mexico, most of Central and South America, and parts of Florida and Texas.
Most people who get Zika have no symptoms, but in pregnant women, infection can cause severe birth defects in a developing fetus, including microcephaly or an abnormally small head.
That's why pregnant women, women who may want to become pregnant and their partners are warned against travelling anywhere with active Zika transmission.
"Pregnant women should really consider seriously whether their travel is necessary," said Dr. Eleni Galanis of the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
"I think it's very much an individual decision, but to my own patients and to my own family members and if I were pregnant, I would not take that risk."
Hundreds tested in BC each month
All of the 47 B.C. Zika cases were acquired while travelling — some in resorts, some off the beaten path and some on extended stays, said Dr. Galanis.
Mexico was the most commonly cited country among the travellers, she said.
Travellers can and should take precautions to avoid getting bitten by mosquitos, such as wearing insect repellant and long-sleeve clothes, especially at dawn and dusk, said Dr. Galanis.
But that might not be enough given the potential for severe complications, she said.
"Even with all the greatest precautions in the world, you probably will get bitten once or twice. So then it's your decision to make about whether or not you want to take that risk."
Each month, the B.C. CDC is seeing between zero and eight new Zika infections, out of the 200-300 tests conducted on returning travellers.
