‘Something goes kind of wrong with that process’: Zika virus linked to miscarriages, stillbirths

MADISON, Wis. — Mosquitoes are a common summertime pest, but the annoyance with them goes a bit beyond the common bite.

Scientists at the UW Department of Pathology and Medicine, along with the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, teamed up with six other primate research centers across the U.S. to collaborate data on how the Zika virus affects pregnancy.

“We know that at least half of people who are infected with Zika virus have no symptoms at all,” says Dawn Dudley, senior scientist at the UW Department of Pathology and Medicine.

Nearly 26 percent of the monkeys who were experimentally infected with the virus had a miscarriage or stillbirth.

“Something goes kind of wrong with that process,” Dudley said.

The former reported rate for humans was only around 6 percent. These numbers being so dramatically different surprises scientists and researchers, but they say unfortunately, they still can’t do anything at this point to cure it.

“We really have no way of treating or doing anything for a person who is diagnosed with Zika virus and is pregnant,” Dudley said.

She also added the only thing you can do is monitor the pregnancy, but even then, there’s no cure.

Here in Wisconsin, the only real cases of Zika virus come from travel.

So if you or your partner are traveling this summer, be cautious of those pesky bugs, especially if you are or are planning to become pregnant.

“Animals that were infected during the first trimester were much more likely to have a fetal demise than animals infected during the third trimester or later on in pregnancy,” said Dudley.

Research on specific data of how exactly the Zika virus affects pregnancy, namely the placenta, is still under active research. Scientists hope to have more studies done and hopefully one day find a cure.

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