The Ministry of Health is reporting that two more pregnant women are among the latest to test positive for the Zika virus.
Director of Health Promotion and Protection, Dr. Sonia Copeland, says the figures were given to the Ministry on Friday.
The latest figures from the Health Ministry brings to 4 the number of pregnant women in Jamaica who’ve tested positive for Zika.
Dr. Copeland says the Ministry is also monitoring 47 other pregnant women who’ve shown symptoms of the virus.
One of the birth defects associated with Zika in pregnant women is microcephaly, which causes their babies to be born with unusually small heads.
[audio_mp3 url=”https://nationwideradiojm.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Copeland-on-pregant-women-June20-2016.mp3″]
Dr. Copeland says the two women are in their second trimester of pregnancy. Babies are at a higher risk of developing microcephaly when the mother becomes infected with the virus in the first trimester.
[audio_mp3 url=”https://nationwideradiojm.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Copeland-on-profile-of-pregnant-women-June20-2016.mp3″]
Dr. Copeland says as of Friday there are now 1,788 suspected cases of Zika.
[audio_mp3 url=”https://nationwideradiojm.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Copeland-on-Zika-cases-June20-2016.mp3″]
The Health Ministry says there remains no confirmed case of microcephaly linked to the Zika virus in Jamaica.
-30-
