Zika prompts urgent debate about abortion in Latin America - Washington Post

RIO DE JANEIRO — Across Latin America, calls to loosen some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world in the face of the Zika virus outbreak are gaining momentum but encountering strong and entrenched opposition.

Lianne Milton

In El Salvador, where abortions are banned under any circumstance, the health minister has argued for a revision of the law because of the dangers the virus poses to fetal development.

In Colombia, an organized movement to lift restrictions on abortion has gained allies in the government but has run into determined opposition from religious authorities. The same is happening in Brazil — and some doctors say that as a consequence, illegal, back-alley abortions are on the rise.

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More than 3,100 pregnant women in Colombia have Zika virus: government - Reuters

More than 3,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Saturday, as the disease continues its rapid spread across the Americas.

Brazil is investigating the potential link between Zika infections and more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, a birth defect marked by an abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems. Researchers have identified evidence of Zika infection in 17 of these cases, either in the baby or in the mother, but have not confirmed that Zika can cause microcephaly.

There are so far no recorded cases of Zika-linked microcephaly in Colombia, Santos said. The government is now uncertain about a previous projection for up to 500 cases of Zika-linked microcephaly, based on data from other countries battling the disease, he said.

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Why isn’t Zika causing birth defects in Colombia? It may only be a matter of time - Washington Post

BOGOTA -- No country outside Brazil has confirmed more Zika cases than Colombia — including more than 2,100 pregnant women who have had the virus.

But so far health officials have not found a single case of the birth defect known as microcephaly among those expectant mothers.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Is that a reason to doubt what the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday was a "strong" suspicion that the mosquito-borne virus is to blame for Brazil's big increase in the number of babies born with unusually small heads and damaged brains?

In a word: no. It's just too early to tell, experts say.

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Colombian women urged not to get pregnant over Zika fears - Radio New Zealand

Officials in Colombia are so concerned by the Zika virus they're urging women to delay pregnancies to avoid potential infection.

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More than 2,100 pregnant Colombian women infected with Zika virus - Reuters

More than 2,100 pregnant Colombian women are infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the country's national health institute said on Saturday, as the disease continues its spread across the Americas.

The virus has been linked to the devastating birth defect microcephaly, which prevents fetus' brains from developing properly. There is no vaccine or treatment.

There are 20,297 confirmed cases of the disease in Colombia, the national health institute said in a epidemiology bulletin, among them 2,116 pregnant women.

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