The Department of Foreign Affairs have warned pregnant women about travelling from Ireland to Florida after a Zika virus outbreak was confirmed in Miami.
As home to Disney World and Universal Studios (not to mention Miami), Florida is a particularly popular summer holiday destination for Irish people. The southern state, however, has also seen 400 confirmed cases of the dangerous virus.
The virus is not much of a threat to the vast majority of humans, but it is widely accepted that if a pregnant woman becomes infected, severe complications can arise in the pregnancy.
Zika has become associated closely with microcephaly, a condition whereby infants are born with smaller, damaged brains. Life expectancy for these babies is sharply reduced, and the prognosis for normal brain function is poor.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, as such, has updated its travel advice on Florida – suggesting that pregnant women don’t make the journey.
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