Study of increased cases of embryonic and fetal deaths diagnosed by ultrasound during the Zika virus outbreak

Abstract

The aim of the research was to describe the main causes of fetal death to improve the quality of care for pregnant women. The Zika virus is a virus of the Flavoviridae family, the Dengue and Chikungunya viruses also belong to this family and are transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. There is a concern of the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health with the increase in cases of Zika virus in pregnant women, since infection with this virus can lead to the presence of neurological changes, such as microcephaly and fetal loss diagnosed by pelvic or transvaginal obstetric ultrasound. . During the period of outbreak of Zika virus infection, there was an increase in cases of deaths diagnosed by ultrasound examination, in the period from 2005 to 2020. Conclusion: The survey identified the socioeconomic level, the obstetric background, the lack of adequate medical monitoring during prenatal care and difficulty in reporting, which are factors that are directly involved with the difficulty of investigating the causes of fetal/embryonic deaths.