There’s a new mosquito borne virus haunting the air waves these days: the Zika virus. The bug has become the media’s scary virus of choice this season, which means it’s everywhere, both on and off the air. Of course, with every new illness that crops up, there’s a focus more on terrifying audience than there is in, say, informing the public. Is the Zika Virus coming to get you while you sleep? Or is it just a flavor of the month flu? Read on to find out.
1. The World Health Organization Is Legitimately Concerned
On Monday, February 1, the World Health Organization declared a “public health emergency of international concern” in regards to the recent rapid spread of the Zika virus and the potential for serious harm that the disease may cause. Given that there is currently no vaccination for the disease and that the Zika virus may cover an incredibly wide geographic swath, the WHO has advised caution when it comes to visiting the infected nations … okay, that sounds just flat-out scary, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.
2. Where Did the Zika Virus Come From?
First thing’s first: the Zika virus isn’t a new thing. In fact, the virus was first identified in Uganda’s Zika forest in 1947 at what has become a permanent outpost designed to study the spread and emergence of new viruses. While the disease has been around for several decades, it’s only in the last few generations that the virus has begun to infect anything more than rhesus monkeys. Even when cases in humans arose, the impact has traditionally been extremely mild. That explains why there’s no vaccine; the disease has never really been identified as a threat until very recently.
3. What Are The Symptoms of the Zika Virus?
In truth, most people who catch the Zika Virus may not even realize they have it. According to the CDC, “About 1 in 5 people infected with Zika will get sick. For people who get sick, the illness is usually mild. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected.” The virus typically hits its victim with a combination of fever, rash, joint pain, and red or irritated eyes. The symptoms typically last around a week before most patients simply recover on their own.
4. If the Symptoms Are so Mild, Why the Hullabaloo?
At this point, the WHO is concerned because the regions in which the virus is currently active are also seeing extremely isolated cases of more serious diseases. Reports of microcephaly — a condition in which a baby is born with a smaller-than-average head — have cropped up in the infected countries. In addition, rare cases of a disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome — a temporary disorder which can cause muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis — have also been reported in infected countries. At this point, health officials can’t confirm a definite link between these two conditions and the Zika virus, mostly because the prevalence of the two diseases is so minute.
5. Where Can the Zika Virus be Found?
At the moment, the Zika virus is most active in South and Central America. The virus was first identified last May in Brazil. The virus has since spread to around 30 countries in an area stretching from Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia, throughout the Caribbean and all the way north to Mexico. While these countries have the most currently reported cases of the Zika virus, the disease can really crop up in any country that’s home to the Aedes mosquito (including the U.S.).
6. How Is the Zika Virus Transmitted?
The Zika virus is transmitted via bites from infected Aedes aegypti and Asian tiger mosquitoes (identified by their stripey legs). It’s the same species that spreads dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya. Thanks to the proliferation of international travel, though, the species has spread and adapted to a much wider variety of countries including more temperate climates. In fact, this mosquito is so good at adaptation that it’s ranked number four on the Global Invasive Species Database’s list of the world’s most invasive species. In other words, this mosquito is lots of places and their area of operation is only increasing with each generation. The ISSG blames the proliferation of the species on the international tire trade, “due to the rainwater retained in the tires when stored outside.”
7. What About Sexually Transmitted Zika?
New data from the CDC suggests that the disease may have the potential for sexual transmission. A Dallas man who traveled to an infected country came back to the U.S. and passed it along to his partner via sexual contact. On Wednesday, they updated the travel notices to state, “Until we know more, if your male sexual partner has traveled to or lives in an area with active Zika virus transmission, you should abstain from sex or use condoms the right way every time you have vaginal, anal, and oral sex for the duration of the pregnancy.”
8. So, How Dangerous Is It?
The Zika Virus is spreading rapidly, infecting lots of people and potentially causing some really awful diseases and birth defects. How dangerous is it? Honestly, not very. It bears repeating that the symptoms of this virus are usually extremely mild. For most, the symptoms begin and end as nothing worse than a mild case of the flu. That said, this still means that the virus is potentially difficult for pregnant women, children and the elderly.
9. Who Is at Risk?
The World Health organization is mostly concerned about the potential risk that the Zika virus can pose to pregnant women. As we noted earlier, the virus may (big emphasis on “may”) cause the birth defect microcephaly to manifest in newborns. Brazil certainly has seen an uptick in this since the Zika outbreak began, but a causal relationship has not yet been determined. Some countries are advising women of a fertile age to postpone pregnancy for two years or so until the outbreak dies down. Obviously, anyone who lives in or travels to the same area where Aedes mosquitos thrive is at potential for risk, but the effects of the Zika virus on otherwise healthy adults are — again — very mild.
10. I Have Plans to Visit an Infected Area; Should I Cancel?
That’s entirely your call. However, the long term risks associated with the Zika virus are generally non-existent at this moment (if you’re not pregnant). No travel bans have been issued in regards to the affected countries. In fact, when it comes to disease prevention, the CDC simply recommends taking the same precautions you would when combatting typical mosquito bites, i.e. wear long shirts and pants, wear bug repellent, stay in air-conditioned or screened-in places, and be particularly vigilant at dusk when the biters are most active. However, some travel companies will offer a refund or postponement of plans if you have a legitimate concern about Zika.
11. I Live in the US; Should I Be Worried?
At the moment, no cases have been reported in the continental United States, though some travelers returning from infected countries have reported being infected. In all honesty (and, again, keep in mind that the Zika virus isn’t usually life-threatening), as summer approaches in the coming months, it’s entirely possible that some isolated cases of the Zika virus will crop up. The mosquito is known to hibernate in the winter in colder climates, which indicates that it’s possible some mosquitos who have the potential to disseminate the Zika virus are just currently sleeping. That’s a long shot, though, and it’s an even longer shot that someone in a country with such advanced healthcare would succumb to the disease.
12. If I Get the Zika Virus, What Should I Do?
For real, just treat it like the flu. The odds are good you won’t even realize you have the Zika virus if you get it, that’s how flu-like the symptoms are. In other words, drink plenty of fluids, and get plenty of rest. If you spike a fever, take some acetaminophen.
13. Will the Spread Get Worse?
Yep, almost definitely. Travel is still active to the countries that host the Zika virus, so the odds that an infected person will return with the virus and subsequently pass it on to a local mosquito (who proceeds to spread the virus) increase every day. For the vast majority of the population, though, that simply means the potential for an uncomfortable week to ten days. In other words, while the Zika virus will almost assuredly spread, it’s not something that should top your list for concern, especially if you’re not pregnant.
14. What’s Being Done to Prevent the Zika Virus?
The WHO and the CDC are doing their part to help spread knowledge surrounding the Zika virus and prepare for its possible infiltration into the United States. There’s no known vaccine for the virus to date, but — as we mentioned earlier — this is the first time in the virus’ known history that it’s posed a threat to people. Even then, the threat it currently poses is minimal. Even better, once you’re infected and you recover, the odds that you’ll succumb to the disease are miniscule. Brazil is resorting to more drastic measures by fumigating throughout the country, though that step has yet to happen elsewhere.
