CDC Cautions Pregnant Women About Zika in Brownsville, Texas

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wednesday cautioned pregnant women to avoid Brownsville, Texas, where mosquitoes are believed to have infected five people with the Zika virus.

Brownsville is now a “cautionary area,” federal health officials said, after the south Texas city last week became home to the second Zika outbreak in the continental U.S, WSJ reported. The CDC says a cautionary area is one where Zika has been transmitted locally, but health officials don’t see evidence of “widespread, sustained local spread” of the virus.

“With the new information that there has been local spread of Zika for at least several weeks, we conclude that pregnant women should avoid the Brownsville area,” said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden. Pregnant women who live in the area should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites, he said.

The virus can cause birth defects to a fetus when a woman becomes infected during pregnancy.

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Source: WSJ