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Pregnant Canadian woman, who was refused Zika test after Brazil trip, may choose abortion
Sharon Kirkey | February 1, 2016 9:32 PM ET
More from Sharon Kirkey | @sharon_kirkey
TORONTO ? A pregnant Canadian who travelled to Brazil in December says she is facing aborting her baby because she has been refused testing for the Zika virus, which the World Health Organization on Monday declared a global emergency.
The Toronto woman says the test for the mosquito-spread infection ? strongly suspected to cause abnormally small heads in newborns ? could help put her mind at some ease.
Without it, ?We are going to be left with the option of terminating what could be a perfectly healthy pregnancy, because we are just completely unwilling to take the chance,? the woman told the Post.
She spoke on condition of anonymity because she and her husband have not yet told their families that they are expecting. They had been trying for four months to conceive.
Her plight underscores the urgent need for clear Canadian guidelines for pregnant women and their doctors in the face of a virus WHO warns is spreading explosively, leaders of Canada?s pregnancy specialists say.
?Everyone?s total focus is on addressing the young woman who is in exactly the situation you?ve described,? Dr. Jennifer Blake, chief executive officer of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), told the Post. ?She can?t wait. She needs our help now. She needs an answer.?
Blake said the Public Health Agency of Canada has convened an emergency teleconference with the SOGC and other medical groups Tuesday to ?try to get these things hammered out.?
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Sharon Kirkey | February 1, 2016 9:32 PM ET
More from Sharon Kirkey | @sharon_kirkey
TORONTO ? A pregnant Canadian who travelled to Brazil in December says she is facing aborting her baby because she has been refused testing for the Zika virus, which the World Health Organization on Monday declared a global emergency.
The Toronto woman says the test for the mosquito-spread infection ? strongly suspected to cause abnormally small heads in newborns ? could help put her mind at some ease.
Without it, ?We are going to be left with the option of terminating what could be a perfectly healthy pregnancy, because we are just completely unwilling to take the chance,? the woman told the Post.
She spoke on condition of anonymity because she and her husband have not yet told their families that they are expecting. They had been trying for four months to conceive.
Her plight underscores the urgent need for clear Canadian guidelines for pregnant women and their doctors in the face of a virus WHO warns is spreading explosively, leaders of Canada?s pregnancy specialists say.
?Everyone?s total focus is on addressing the young woman who is in exactly the situation you?ve described,? Dr. Jennifer Blake, chief executive officer of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC), told the Post. ?She can?t wait. She needs our help now. She needs an answer.?
Blake said the Public Health Agency of Canada has convened an emergency teleconference with the SOGC and other medical groups Tuesday to ?try to get these things hammered out.?
...
