As of March 2019, the CDC has downgraded travel restrictions and recommends that pregnant women (or women planning on getting pregnant) to avoid traveling in areas where the Zika virus is active.
With all of this being said, do you know much about the Zika virus and what it can do to adults and children? There is so much that needs to be understood about the Zika virus, including where it can be found, how to protect yourself, and the birth defects that can occur because of the virus. In this article, we’re going to go over all of that and more to help you gain a better understanding of what the Zika virus is and how bad it can be.
Where Is the Zika Virus?
If you’re asking yourself where the Zika virus is, take a look at the CDC’s website to see a Zika virus map to see where the virus has been and to check on specific locations. The Zika virus can be found in Central America, the Caribbean, tropical areas of Southeast Asia, parts of Africa, Mexico, and Oceania. Everyone who travels to these regions is at risk of getting the Zika virus.
Zika Virus in the USA
According to the CDC Zika virus map, the United States is a country that has had reports of the Zika virus, but no current outbreak; however, it also has areas that have a low likelihood of having the Zika virus infection because of high elevation.
Zika virus had a massive outbreak two summers ago in South and Central America and the Caribbean. This outbreak caused more than half a million suspected cases and more than 3,700 congenital disabilities.
Scientists believed that this outbreak happened because of a mutation in the virus, which made the outbreak happen and caused the disease to be harmful. Another theory that goes with the previously mentioned one and that is that the climate was ideal. This made it so that the tropical mosquitos were able to help propel the Zika virus to such large numbers.
This year, we have only seen cases appear in Puerto Rico with 65 cases, and in the U.S. Virgin Islands with two cases. However, in the continental United States and other territories, there haven’t been any cases reported – although, there have been 28 cases where exposure to the Zika virus occurred during travel.
Zika might not happen this year at all, or if it does, it won’t be as bad as last year. The places that are at the highest risk of the Zika virus are Texas and Florida.
Something that should be noted is that Zika isn’t easily spread throughout the United States because the Aedes mosquitos are rare.
What Is the Zika Virus?
The Zika virus is that it is transmitted by Aedes mosquitos, which bite during the day. It was first identified in monkeys in 1947 in Uganda. Later, it was found in humans in 1952 in the United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda.
The Zika virus symptoms are usually mild and include rashes, fevers, conjunctivitis, joint and muscle pain, and headaches or malaise. The symptoms usually last two to seven days. However, most people who have the Zika virus don’t develop any symptoms. The incubation period of the Zika virus is estimated to last three to 14 days.
There is no treatment for the Zika virus infection or any of its associated diseases. Most of the symptoms, as we’ve mentioned earlier, are mild; however, if they get worse, you should seek medical advice and care.
Prevention
You can protect yourself against mosquito bites during the day and early afternoon to prevent the Zika virus infection. More attention should be given to help prevent mosquito bites when it comes to women who are at reproductive age, young children, and pregnant women.
Special attention should also be given to the prevention of mosquito bites when it comes to women of reproductive age, pregnant women, and young children.
Pregnant women and young children should sleep beneath mosquito nets if sleeping during the early evening or day. Personal protection should also be considered when it comes to protection against mosquito bites.
For instance, wearing light-colored clothing that covers most of your body; using physical barriers such as closed windows and doors and window screens; and using insect repellent on clothing and skin that contains IR3535, icaridin, or DEET according to the instructions on the product label.
Aedes mosquitos breed in small areas of water around schools, work sites, and homes. It’s important that you eliminate these mosquito breeding grounds, including removing standing water in flower pots, covering water storage containers, and cleaning up used tires and trash.
Pregnancy and the Zika Virus
Having the Zika virus while pregnant can lead to microcephaly (smaller than normal head size) and other congenital abnormalities in developing fetus’ and newborns. The Zika virus can also lead to complications such as preterm birth, stillbirth, and fetal loss.
There is research going on that is investigating the effects of the Zika virus on pregnancy outcomes, prevention, strategies, control, and even the effects of the Zika virus on other neurological disorders in adults and children.
Is Zika Virus Contagious?
The Zika virus is usually transmitted when an infected mosquito bites a person and usually happens in the tropical and subtropical regions. These mosquitos usually bite during the day, peaking in the early morning and late evening/afternoon. The type of mosquito that transmits the Zika virus (Aedes) is also the same mosquito that transmits yellow fever.
The Zika virus can be transmitted from the mother to her fetus during pregnancy, through sexual contact, transfusion of blood and blood products, and organ transplantation.
Final Thoughts
So much is still unknown about the Zika virus and the effects that it has on those who are exposed to it. Zika is not believed to be life-threatening to adults or children; this is because the virus has only caused 20 deaths in the Americas since 2015. However, we do know that the virus can cause serious congenital disabilities on unborn fetus’ and can even cause some subtle neurological problems that appear in babies that seem normal at birth.
There is still no vaccine for the Zika virus, but scientists are working hard to learn more about the virus and create a vaccine that would fit against the Zika virus.