Ringland (Rink) Murray, MD, Tennessee Reproductive MedicineQ: Should I delay pregnancy because of the Zika virus?
A: The short answer is “no.” Zika is a virus transmitted by mosquito bites and, if pregnant women are infected, their babies can be born with microcephaly (small head) and other problems. Zika is currently an issue in some South American countries, especially Brazil. It is not mosquito season yet here, so we don’t know if Zika will come to the U.S. this summer, next summer or ever. Women who delay pregnancy this year risk finding that Zika is more prevalent next year. Currently, fewer than 0.1 percent of babies born in Brazil have complications from Zika, and babies born in the United States should be lower risk, since we have fewer mosquito-born illnesses due to our standard of living: enclosed houses with air-conditioning, access to pregnancy-safe mosquito repellant and heightened awareness.
– Ringland (Rink) Murray, M.D., Tennessee Reproductive Medicine
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