Zika in India, Pre-trying-for-pregnancy

September 2, 2016 6:52 AM

Wife and I are planning on visiting India (a mix of cities, rural areas and tourist traps) in late December. We were planning to start to try to get pregnant for the first time starting around a month later. She's worried about Zika. Should we be?

India doesn't seem to be included in any list of Zika related outbreaks, but the mosquito that carries it is in India, and a search down the google wormhole shows. We plan on definitely getting tested post-India even without symptoms and make the precautions necessary.

Second question-- is there any NYC doctors or advisers that would be able to help us with actual information rather than google-wormhole craziness?

posted by sandmanwv to Travel & Transportation around India (3 answers total)

Currently the CDC recommendation is that people wait at least 8 weeks after possible exposure before trying to get pregnant. Even if you were to get infected during your trip to India, there is currently no evidence of any sort of effect on a pregnancy that occurs after you've gotten over the infection.

Our OBGYN basically repeated CDC information and told us to only review that site. She advised against any sexual activity if I (father to be) traveled to a zika infected country for 8 weeks after return. She had zero concerns about us traveling to countries that were not listed as Zika zones, regardless of whether the species of mosquito was there (since they're already along the east coast of America anyway, including where we live.)

If you want to be extra cautious, try not to be on too much of a schedule regarding the pregnancy (which isn't necessarily going to happen on the schedule you'd like to be on anyway). Enjoy your trip. Wear bug spray. Wait 8 weeks. Get the test. Then try for pregnancy.
posted by Karaage at 7:50 AM on September 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

You know Aedes aegypti are most likely in NYC right? At least according to the CDC. It's a human commensal species, and you may well see less of them in remote rural India than in DC.

I think you would benefit from reading directly from the CDC, rather than undirected googling.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:51 AM on September 2, 2016 [4 favorites]

Seconding what SaltySalticid said, and also, frankly, India has plenty of things to be scared of aside from Zika. I would be much more concerned about the likelihood of catching any of the TORCHES infections (Toxoplasma, Rubella) as well as Hepatitis, specifically Hep A.

This is not to alarm you further or dissuade you from going on the trip, just make sure you and your wife are vaccinated, and check the CDC travel advisory for India.

Go on the trip, have fun, and don't worry overmuch about diseases. Extra-cautions I would add to Karaage's list: Avoid street food, undercooked meat, and unfiltered/unboiled water.
posted by and her eyes were wild. at 9:29 AM on September 2, 2016 [2 favorites]