Many people in U.S. households where someone is
pregnant or considering getting pregnant in the next
12 months are not aware of key facts about Zika
virus, according to a new poll by Harvard T.H. Chan
School of Public Health researchers.
The nationally representative poll of 1,275 adults,
including 105 who live in households where someone
is pregnant or considering getting pregnant in the
next 12 months, was conducted March 2-8, 2016 in
cooperation with the National Public Health
Information Coalition (NPHIC), an organization
serving state and local public health communications
officers.
Among people in households where someone is pregnant
or considering getting pregnant, the researchers
found:
-
Approximately one in four (23%) are not aware of
the association between Zika virus and the birth
defect microcephaly.
-
One in five (20%) believe, incorrectly, that
there is a vaccine to protect against Zika
virus.
-
Approximately four in 10 (42%) do not realize
Zika virus can be sexually transmitted.
-
A
quarter (25%) think individuals infected with
Zika virus are “very likely” to show symptoms.
Such
results suggest this key segment of the population
does not have the latest Zika virus information
presented by public health officials.
“We have a key window before the mosquito season
gears up in communities within the United States
mainland to correct misperceptions about Zika virus
so that pregnant women and their partners may take
appropriate measures to protect their families,”
says Gillian SteelFisher, director of the poll and
research scientist in the Department of Health
Policy and Management at Harvard Chan School.
Zika virus
The
general public also has misperceptions about Zika
virus, the researchers found.
Within the public as a whole,
This
contrasts with the latest scientific evidence
reported by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), which suggests “Zika virus
infection in a woman who is not pregnant would not
pose a risk for birth defects in future pregnancies
after the virus has cleared from her blood,” which
takes about a week.
-
While most of the public (87%) understand that
Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, many
have other facts about transmission wrong.
-
About one in five (22%) are not aware that Zika
virus can be transmitted from mother to baby
during pregnancy and
-
more than a quarter (29%) are unaware it can be
transmitted through blood transfusions.
-
About a third (31%) believe, incorrectly, that
Zika virus is transmitted through coughing and
sneezing.
SteelFisher adds, “These misperceptions about Zika
virus transmission could lead people to take
unnecessary or inappropriate precautions, as we have
seen in other kinds of outbreaks.”
Few
people understand that a person who is infected with
Zika virus most likely will not show symptoms.
-
Nearly three-quarters (71%) say a person
infected with Zika virus is likely (“very” or
“somewhat”) to show symptoms.
-
Approximately two-thirds (68%) say fever is
common if someone does show symptoms, but other
symptoms are much less frequently identified
(headache 49%; joint pain 41%; rash 34%;
conjunctivitis or red eyes 18%).
-
Further, approximately a third (35%) believe
incorrectly that coughing and sneezing are
symptoms of Zika virus disease.
Many
unaware of link between Zika virus and
Guillain-Barré: nearly three-quarters of the public
(71%) are unaware of a link between Zika virus and
Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis.
For
more information about Zika virus
CDC’s Zika page
Link...
Department of Health Policy and Management at
Harvard Chan School
Link...
MDN |