60% increase in week: Over 5,000 pregnant women in Colombia infected with Zika

Colombia has reported more than 5,000 cases of pregnant women coming down with the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The number has increased by almost 60 percent over the past week. The total number of registered cases of the virus in Colombia stands at 31,555, the national health institute said in its epidemiology bulletin on Saturday. This number has also risen considerably since last week, showing no hopes for a decline in the near future.

Colombian authorities have urged women to avoid getting pregnant because the Zika virus has been associated with serious birth defects such as microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with smaller skulls and brains. Women have been urged to delay pregnancy for six to eight months, while pregnant women with Zika have been granted access to much-restricted abortion services, Reuters reported.

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INC News, 13/02/2016 - source: RTNews