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WHO Revises Zika-Related Safe Sex And Pregnancy Guidelines

Condoms, bug repellent wipes and literature on the prevention of ZIka and other diseases handed out by health clinic workers during a wellness fair in the Las Cuevas neighborhood on Aug. 31, 2016 in Loiza, Puerto Rico. (Angel Valentin/Getty Images)
Condoms, bug repellent wipes and literature on the prevention of ZIka and other diseases handed out by health clinic workers during a wellness fair in the Las Cuevas neighborhood on Aug. 31, 2016 in Loiza, Puerto Rico. (Angel Valentin/Getty Images)

The World Health Organization is revising its advice to people who may have been exposed to the Zika virus and who are interested in getting pregnant.

The WHO now says couples who have visited an area where there’s Zika should wait at least six months before trying to conceive, whether or nor either person had symptoms. Previously, the organization had advised women who may have been exposed to Zika wait 8 weeks, and men who may have been exposed to wait six months.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young talks with Helen Branswell, who covers infectious diseases and public health for STAT, about the new guidelines, and about the emergence of locally-transmitted Zika infections in Singapore and elsewhere in Asia.

Guest

Helen Branswell, reporter covering infectious diseases and public health for STAT. She tweets @HelenBranswell.

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