WHO: Women Living in Zika-Affected Areas Should Consider Delaying Pregnancy

The guidance affects millions of couples across the Caribbean and Latin America

The WHO headquarters in Geneva.

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

By Julie Steenhuysen

The World Health Organization is advising women living in areas where the Zika virus is being transmitted to delay getting pregnant, advice already given by several countries where the virus is in widespread transmission.

The WHO issued the advice last week, but its meaning only became clear on Thursday when the health agency issued a correction to its advice on preventing sexual transmission of the virus.

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Although Zika is primarily spread by mosquitoes, it can also be spread through sexual transmission. In women who are pregnant, this exposes the fetus to the risk of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size and underdeveloped brains. Concerns over microcephaly led WHO to declare Zika a global health emergency on Feb. 1.

WHO's advice now expressly states that men and women of reproductive age living in affected areas should consider delaying pregnancy. The advice does not say for how long. It will affect men and women in some 60 countries.

Several countries affected by the Zika outbreak, including El Salvador, have issued similar warnings to their residents.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not advised women to avoid pregnancy during the Zika outbreak unless they are infected with the virus. So far, Zika is only present in U.S. territories of Puerto Rico American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For these women, the CDC advises them to discuss the risks of Zika with their doctors, and it advises women who do not want to become pregnant to use the most effective means of contraception.

In Puerto Rico, U.S. health officials have increased access to intrauterine devices for women seeking to avoid pregnancy.

The CDC has advised all pregnant women to avoid travel to areas with active Zika transmission. Zika is not expected to cause large outbreaks in the continental United States.

Experts believe it may be several years before a Zika vaccine is widely available.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American