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Pregnant Or Trying? Don't Let Zika Guard Down

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
designer491
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The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

The Zika virus may not seem as big a threat as last summer but don't let your guard down — especially if you're pregnant or trying to be.

While cases of the birth defect-causing virus have dropped sharply from last year's peak in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, Zika hasn't disappeared from the region and remains a potential threat.

It's hard to predict how much risk people face in locales with smoldering infection, or if cases might spike again. For now, pregnant women still are being urged not to travel to a country or area with even a few reported cases of Zika, because the consequences can be disastrous for a fetus' brain.