The outbreak of the Zika Virus means Florida Egg Donors, recipients, surrogates and intended parents have to take real precautions — and the first line of defense is information.
The Centers for Disease Control has issued travel warnings for confirmed Zika hotspots in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, as well as the Pacific Islands and Cape Verde.
This is particularly relevant in South Florida, long considered “The Gateway to the Americas”, which sees extensive traveling to places like the virus-affected Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Columbia, Brazil and Venezuela, to name just a few.
The Zika outbreak – which to date has NO vaccine – has led to reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome and newborns with birth defects and poor pregnancy outcomes, including severe Microcephaly (abnormally small heads/abnormal brain development) accompanied by neurological abnormalities. These abnormalities include mild to severe developmental delays, affected motor and intellectual skills, and cerebral palsy.
And according to the CDC, it’s not just Florida Egg Donors and Surrogates who need to take precautions from the mosquito-borne virus, but their partners, too.
How Florida Egg Donors & Surrogates Can Fight Zika
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has cautioned “It seems clear the virus has implications for reproduction and that it can be transmitted through sexual activity and reproductive tissues,” and not solely through mosquito bite.
As a result, The ASRM issued a statement on the Zika Virus “strongly urging patients who are pregnant, who are considering becoming pregnant, or those who may be involved as donors or recipients of reproductive tissues to exercise caution.”
The CDC is going so far as to urge “those pregnant or seeking to become pregnant to avoid travel to those areas, or use enhanced prevention and follow-up activities if such travel cannot be avoided”.
In the specialized case of a Florida Egg Donor or Surrogate or anyone involved in a third-party reproductive arrangement, the outbreak calls for additional steps. Our firm Leslie Schreiber, P.A., recommends adding language in your egg donation and surrogacy contracts providing protections for Zika-related issues during a pregnancy. The ASRM recommends not only consulting your reproductive law attorney, but also contacting your Reproductive Endocrinologist and Obstetrician to discuss what additional precautions you can take to minimize contracting and/or transmitting the Zika Virus.
And because information is always the first line of defense, the CDC is putting all the latest information, plus enhanced prevention methods, symptoms, maps of affected zones, and much more at http://www.cdc.gov/zika/.