Seminars and informational classes for pregnant women across Central and South America hope to keep the Zika virus at bay.

A worker at a maternity hospital in El Salvador talks to pregnant women about how to prevent the mosquito-born virus Zika.

With more than 6000 cases registered in this country alone, the virus is particularly dangerous to pregnant women, as it could cause devastating birth defects in infants.

The government has gone so far as to recommend that women avoid getting pregnant for the next two years.

Karla Beatriz is already pregnant, and is concerned.

I think everyone, especially those of us who are pregnant, are scared, she said. For us, it would be painful but for our children it would be even worse.

Zika is now present in 23 countries and territories in the Americas.

Here in Nicaragua, the government has started fumigating homes in a campaign to help control the mosquito population.

Similar measures are being taken at homes and buildings in Honduras.

Pregnant women here are also getting pre-screened.

Ana Raquel Gomez is a chief gynecologist.

Pre-natal testing is important, she said. There will be an early ultrasound at 20 weeks to evaluate the baby's growth.

Zika has been linked to brain damage in thousands of babies in Brazil.

There are about 3,700 cases of the birth defect microcephaly with strongly-suspected links to Zika.

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