--- description: El Salvador has asked women not to get pregnant until 2018 due to the threat of the Zika virus, according to news reports title: El Salvador Asks People to Wait to Have Children Due to Zika image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7269a3acb5706518/69887a992dce01ae4b9e7830/zika-virus-el-salvador-birth-defects-pregnancy-03.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Public Health](/tag/public-health/) ## Public Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # El Salvador Asks People Not to Have Children for Two Years Due to Zika Virus  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 26, 2016 12:52 PM CUT  A Health Ministry employee fumigates a home against to prevent the spread of the Zika virus in Soyapango, easy of San Salvador, on Jan. 21, 2016. A Health Ministry employee fumigates a home against to prevent the spread of the Zika virus in Soyapango, easy of San Salvador, on Jan. 21, 2016.Marvin Recinos—AFP/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 26, 2016 12:52 PM CUT El Salvador has asked women not to get pregnant until 2018, a measure that demonstrates the severity of the [Zika virus](http://time.com/4176167/zika-virus-what-to-know/ "undefined") epidemic in the country, [according to news reports](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/world/americas/el-salvadors-advice-on-zika-dont-have-babies.html?%5Fr=1 "undefined"). The mosquito-borne virus has been lined to brain damage in infants, [the New York _Times_ reported](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/26/world/americas/el-salvadors-advice-on-zika-dont-have-babies.html?%5Fr=1 "undefined"). The virus has affected Latin America and the Caribbean, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the virus will likely [reach nearly all of North and South America](http://time.com/4192338/zika-virus-who-mosquito/ "undefined").  Mylene Helena Ferreira holds her son David Henrique Ferreira, who has microcephaly, on Jan. 25, 2016 in Recife, Brazil. Mario Tama—Getty Images El Salvador has seen at least 5,000 cases of Zika, according to the paper. In Brazil, a million people have been infected and almost 4,000 children have been born with microcephaly, a condition that gives babies small heads and incomplete brain development. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [has advised](http://www.cdc.gov/zika/pregnancy/question-answers.html "undefined") pregnant women to avoid travel to places affected by the virus. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4193747/el-salvador-zika-virus-pregnancy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4193747/el-salvador-zika-virus-pregnancy/"},"headline":"El Salvador Asks People Not to Have Children for Two Years Due to Zika Virus","datePublished":"2016-01-26T12:52:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:32.541Z","description":"There have been 5,000 cases of the virus in the country","url":"https://time.com/4193747/el-salvador-zika-virus-pregnancy/","keywords":["Public Health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7269a3acb5706518/69887a992dce01ae4b9e7830/zika-virus-el-salvador-birth-defects-pregnancy-03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7269a3acb5706518/69887a992dce01ae4b9e7830/zika-virus-el-salvador-birth-defects-pregnancy-03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"EL SALVADOR-HEALTH-AEDES AEGYPTI-VIRUS","caption":"A Health Ministry employee fumigates a home against to prevent the spread of the Zika virus in Soyapango, easy of San Salvador, on Jan. 21, 2016.","creditText":"Marvin Recinos—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/public-health/","name":"Public Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4193747/el-salvador-zika-virus-pregnancy/","name":"El Salvador Asks People Not to Have Children for Two Years Due to Zika Virus"}}]}] ```