Concerns On The Zika Virus Hit Pregnant Miami OB-GYN

First Posted: Aug 24, 2016 05:36 AM EDT
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The number of Zika cases is still causing alarm to the people of the State of Florida. Dr. Karla Maguire, an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami, has been doing everything she knows to protect her unborn child from Zika.

In an interview with CNN, Dr. Karla Maguire, an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami, said that one of the reasons she and her husband, Rafael Zevallos, moved to Miami from New York was because of her love for the beach. However, she has been to the beach, or out of the house to play with her son at the park ever since Zika started spreading in South Florida. All she does is help her mother-in-law get her son's stroller out of their Surfside home, and then goes back inside, while Rafael and his grandmother walk to the beach by themselves.

"It's sad," she said. "I haven't been taking my son to the park either, and those were two of my favorite activities to do with him before Zika." Maguire, who's expecting her second child in February, said that staying indoors is worth it to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and so she can protect her unborn child from birth defects caused by Zika. She definitely knows what to do since she is not just a pregnant woman, she is a pregnant obstetrician. "All day, I'm taking care of patients who are worried about Zika," she said. "So for me this is professional and personal."

Mysuncoast.com reported that Maguire still goes to work every day but only covered with bug spray. She also wears long sleeves and pants despite the Miami heat. "I never feel completely relaxed when I'm outside," she said, "I'm always checking my pants, are my ankles completely covered?" She also said that it gets really hard to stay in the house for hours; doing everything you can to make sure you're entertained. However, that's what she plans to do until she gives birth.

Maguire also admitted that it's hard to be pregnant during the age of Zika, but at the same time the being in the same circumstance as her patients helped her help them. When her patients ask her if bug sprays are safe during pregnancy, she tells them that she doesn't leave home without it. "They find that reassuring," she said.

Meanwhile, kcrz.com reported that Maguire and other doctors in South Florida expects questions about Zika to reach its peak when their offices open on Monday because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday that pregnant women and their sexual partner shouldn't go to two specific sections of Miami-Dade county, and should also rethink about travelling leisurely to all parts of the county. "I think we're going to have quite a number of patients ask, 'Wait a minute. I live here. What am I supposed to do? Move away?'" said Dr. Elizabeth Etkin-Kramer, who practices gynecology in Miami Beach.

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