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(This post has been updated with news of the first Zika birth defects case found in the United States.)
In an extraordinary statement likely to launch international controversy, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Friday evening that pregnant women not travel to 14 countries and territories—the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, and Venezuela—for fear of birth defects associated with infection by mosquito-borne Zika virus.
The recommendation comes in the form of a “Level 2 travel alert,” which in the agency’s lingo represents a warning to “practice enhanced precautions.” In the Zika announcement, the CDC says that pregnant women “should consider postponing travel,” adding, “pregnant women who must travel to one of these areas should talk to their doctor or other healthcare provider first and strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites.” Women planning to become pregnant, it says, “should consult with their healthcare provider before traveling to these areas.”
Zika virus has been exploding in South and Central America. In Brazil, where the...
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