Zika virus: Worries trump homesickness for pregnant Brazilian Montrealer

Montrealer Renata Farias hasn't been back to Brazil to see her parents in two years, and now that she's pregnant she'll be waiting a little longer to avoid the Zika virus outbreak back home.

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The 38-year-old is 23-weeks pregnant with her first baby after years of trying and told CBC Montreal's Daybreak that she's not taking any chances.

Farias was scheduled to fly home to visit her parents in December but cancelled the trip on the advice of a friend back in Brazil who is a doctor.

"We don't know exactly what it is, but it's better not to come," the friend told Farias.

That advice was echoed by her mother.

"She called me crying and told me not to come. She told me I've waited so long to have a baby, so don't come," Farias said.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus is believed to have a possible connection to microcephaly, a rare neurological birth defect characterized by an abnormally small head that can lead to developmental issues or even death.

More than 4,000 cases of babies born with microcephaly have been reported in the Brazil since the first confirmed case of Zika was identified there in May 2015.

So far there is limited evidence on whether Zika can be transferred from mother to child during pregnancy or at the moment of childbirth. However, the timing of the spike in microcephaly cases alongside Zika's spread in Brazil means a link is "strongly suspected" and being closely studied.

Friends back in Brazil who are pregnant are living normally, Farias said. They just have to take precautions like wearing long sleeves and pants to protect against mosquito bites.

Farias will get back to Brazil to see her parents when it is deemed safe to do so.

For now, she's happy to stay home in Montreal.

"It's cold, but I'm fine."