“Too Much to Ask, Too Much to Handle”: Women’s Coping in Times of Zika

Abstract

Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of congenital brain abnormalities. Its consequences for pregnancies have made governments and both national and international agencies issue advice and recommendations to women. This study was designed to understand the impacts of Zika on women who were less directly affected and less vulnerable to Zika. Women were recruited from various locations in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Women perceived that public health systems placed an unfair responsibility for preventing health complications from Zika onto women who had limited ability to do so. They also stated that the measures recommended to them were invasive, while creating the perception that women were the sole determinant of whether they contracted Zika. The results indicate that women with higher levels of education understood the limitations of the information, government actions, and medical care they received, which ended up producing higher levels of anguish and worry. Gender inequality and discrimination must be recognized and rendered visible in the public health emergency response. The social effects of the epidemic affected women more than had been thought before and at deeper emotional levels.

“One feels anger to know there is no one to help us!”. Perceptions of mothers of children with Zika virus-associated microcephaly in Caribbean Colombia: A qualitative study

“…Some participants declared their incapacity to do anything as they were already pregnant. It was in line with mass media messages, that the responsibility was put on women to avoid ZIKV infection, without mentioning the role of men in the sexual transmission of the virus, and men’s reproductive capacities and decisions [ 9 , 27 , 43 , 44 ]. Responses to public health crisis affecting SRHR, that ask women to postpone their pregnancies, are only feasible if decisions are made by women having complete information, and accessing comprehensive healthcare services within a human rights framework (modern contraception, avoid unplanned pregnancies, legal abortion services, etc.)…”

Uncertainties, Fear and Stigma: Perceptions of Zika Virus among Pregnant Women in Spain

“…Following WHO declaration of the ZIKV epidemic as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in 2016, country-specific recommendations in non-endemic areas were made available to pregnant women and women of reproductive age including advice to avoid traveling to affected countries, the use of condoms with partners returning from endemic areas or to postpone pregnancies up to two years [ 8 ]. To date, ZIKV is no longer considered as an emergency but a common threat, even though more than 70 countries still report active transmission of the virus [ 9 ].…”

“…There are several studies reporting perceptions and knowledge gaps in pregnant women exposed to ZIKV in endemic areas [ 12 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]; access to the healthcare system, specifically to sexual and reproductive health services for women living in endemic settings [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]; perceptions of ZIKV among women, not necessarily during gestation [ 9 , 23 ]; the general public living in endemic settings [ 11 ]; knowledge and attitudes among travelers to the U.S.A. [ 24 ] and to Brazil [ 25 ]; and perceptions of ZIKV among healthcare professionals [ 26 ]. The previously mentioned studies are very diverse in design, methodology and population under study, as are in their results and conclusions.…”

“…To our knowledge, there are no studies on perceptions of ZIKV among migrant women in a non-endemic country, such as Spain. Also, few studies have addressed the psychosocial implications of the ZIKV epidemic on women who might be considered to be affected to a lesser extent by the epidemic [ 9 ], such as women diagnosed with ZIKV during pregnancy and who delivered healthy children, even though they still suffered from ZIKV related fears and uncertainties.…”