Even though it's not extremely serious for most people, the Zika virus could pose serious problems for women and their fetuses if a pregnant woman is bitten. The illness has been linked to a birth defect called microcephaly, which can lead to incomplete brain development and a small head - it may also cause serious vision abnormalities.
While there's no hard evidence to support the idea that this defect is caused by Zika, the timing is suspicious: There's been a 20-fold increase in Brazilian babies born with microcephaly since the virus first appeared in Brazil. The surge in cases of microcephaly is becoming so major in Brazil, health officials have warned women to avoid becoming pregnant. More recently, women in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica were also warned against becoming pregnant. On February 1, American Samoa, Costa Rica, Curacao, and Nicaragua were added to the list. As of February 3, Jamaica and Tonga are also considered danger zones.
As of February 18, the CDC has added Aruba and Bonaire to the list. On February 23, the list expanded to include Trinidad and Tobago and The Marshall Islands. On February 29, St. Vincent, the Grenadines and Sint Maarten were added as well. New Caledonia was added to the list on March 9. The CDC added Cuba on March 21. On May 22, Dominica was added. Kosrae was added on April 1. The CDC added Fiji to the list on April 4. Saint Lucia was added on April 13. Belize joined the list on April 18. The CDC added Papue New Guinea on April 29. Peru was added on May 5. The CDC added Grenada on May 12.
As of February 11, two women had suffered miscarriages that were linked to the virus.
Here's everything you need to know about the Zika virus...
Where the virus is
If you're with child, you're advised to avoid traveling to these areas: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. As of Friday, January 22, the CDC added more locales to the list of places pregnant women should avoid: Barbados, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Guyana, Cape Verde and Samoa. On Tuesday, January 26, they also added the US Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic to the list.
If you've traveled to an effected area, you should get tested for the virus at between 2 and 12 weeks of travel. The U.S. FDA authorized an Emergency Use Authorization for a diagnostic tool meant to detect antibodies in the blood that can identify the virus.
Outbreaks of Zika have been reported in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands—but there's cause for concern in the United States as well. There was a confirmed case of the illness in Texas, two pregnant women were infected in Illinois and recent research warns of Zika's potential to spread within the Americas.
We've also learned of a few confirmed cases of the virus in the United States. There was a reported case in California, but the victim has recovered. There have also been cases in Virginia, New York City, Arkansas and Pennsylvania.
How you contract Zika
The Zika virus is transmitted via a certain type of mosquito from the Aedes species. These mosquitoes also spread dengue fever and the chikungunya virus.The mosquitos can become infected if they bit someone who carries the virus, at which they point they can pass it to someone else.
There is a possibility that mothers can pass the virus to their babies—if a mom is infected at the time of delivery, there is a small chance she can transmit it to her infant and the possibility of a pregnant woman passing the virus to a fetus is being investigated. There was one case of possible transmission via sexual intercourse.
The symptoms
According to the CDC, about one in five people who are infected with the virus become ill and symptoms commonly include fever, rash, red eyes, muscle pain and headaches. The symptoms generally last for a few days to a week.
Treatment
There is no vaccine or medication available to treat Zika. Those who are infected should get plenty of rest, drink fluids and take pain-relieving medicine—if infected, you should also do your best to avoid mosquito bites for the first week of the illness.
Here's what you should do
The major takeaway from all this? It should go without saying that you should heed the CDC's advice and stay away from the areas mentioned above. If you must travel to a place where you're likely to find mosquitoes, take appropriate precautions: Use insect repellant, wear long sleeves and pants, opt for the air conditioning if available and use window/door screens whenever possible.
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