Expert answer:
The care a pregnant woman must have to prevent herself against zika virus consists mainly of protect skin with clothing and repellent to avoid the bite of the mosquito that transmits the virus.
Look 8 care that the pregnant woman must have prevention of zika virus:
- Eliminate the outbreaks of larvae of the Aedes mosquito, transmitter of the zika virus (plant pots, water box, tires, bottles, standing water);
- Wear long clothing to protect yourself from bites, leaving as little of the exposed skin as possible;
- Give preference to light clothing because they reflect the heat and help to frighten away the mosquito, which guides itself through the heat of the body to itch;
- Apply repellent on all exposed areas of the skin, with attention to hands, neck, neck, feet, face and ears; the most indicated repellents are those containing Icaridina, since they have an action time of up to 10 hours;
- If the fabric is very thin or has a wide weave, apply the repellent over the clothing as well;
- Avoid exposure at times when the mosquito is most active, which is at dawn and dusk; however, do not forget that the Aedes aegypti also itch during the day !;
- Put screens on windows and doors;
- Talk to your doctor before traveling, especially if you go to places with zika virus case records or that have high rates of dengue.
What repellents can pregnant women use to prevent zika virus?
- Icaridina (Exposis): It guarantees greater protection time against bites, about 10 hours;
- DEET (OFF, Autan, Repelex): Pregnant women should use the adult version (15%), which gives 6 hours of protection;
- IR3535 (Johnson's Antimosquito Lotion): It has a very short duration, as it is recommended for children from 6 months to 2 years, so it needs to be reapplied every two hours.
The natural repellents citrate and androba are rapidly evaporated and therefore have a very short protection time, between 10 and 20 minutes only.
Therefore, are not considered safe for pregnant women to use as a form of prevention of zika virus.
