The news has been filled in recent months with stories about the surprising spread of Zika virus in North and South America — and the potential health threat to the newborn babies of pregnant women who become infected with the virus.
While the virus can spread quickly through mosquito bites and has been linked to a certain type of birth defect, the actual symptoms of the virus are typically not too serious and rarely require hospitalization.
Good News: The Symptoms Aren’t Too Severe
Zika virus is related to several other illnesses, including yellow fever, dengue fever and West Nile virus. Symptoms from the virus are similar to dengue fever and chikungunya, which is also a mosquito-spread virus.
Zika virus symptoms include a fever, headache, joint pain, a rash or even conjunctivitis (red eyes). Only about one in every five people who are infected with the Zika virus experiences any symptoms at all. Those symptoms typically last no longer than a week at most, and rarely are symptoms so severe as to need hospitalization.
Like its more established viral cousins, Zika virus spreads mostly through mosquito bites. Not every species of mosquito carries the virus, but the type that has spread the most Zika cases —Aedes aegypti, or the yellow fever mosquito — is common throughout Florida and the Gulf Coast region of the United States. The virus can also be spread by Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, which can be found as far north as New York and Chicago during the summer.
Bad News: It’s Spreading Rapidly in the Americas
On Jan. 28, the World Health Organization (WHO) described the spread of Zika virus in North and South America as “explosive,” and has declared it a global health emergency.
While cold weather in the northern hemisphere keeps mosquito populations down during the winter, the southern hemisphere is currently experiencing summer when mosquito populations peak. The Caribbean and equatorial regions, where weather is typically warmer year-round, must deal with the constant threat of mosquito-borne illnesses such as Zika virus.
The Zika virus (pictured, right) originated in east central Africa, where it was first discovered almost 70 years ago. It is a common virus in Africa and Asia, but in May 2015, it began to spread rapidly in the western hemisphere, including North and South America, and especially in Brazil.
Since many from North America travel to regions where there has been an outbreak, there’s a high probability of someone getting bitten by an infected mosquito, carrying that infection home and transmitting it to the local mosquito population. And, since most people in the Americas have never been exposed to Zika virus, none of us have a natural immunity to it, enabling it to spread easier.
Good News: We Can Limit its Spread
The good news for people in the Southeast is that, although we live with mosquito varieties that can easily carry the virus, we’re also pretty good at not getting bitten by mosquitos. Most homes in our area have screened windows and air conditioning, both of which cut down on the risk of mosquitos getting us indoors where we spend a lot of our time.
We also have ready access to insect repellents that we can use to protect ourselves when we’re working or exercising outdoors. Insect repellents containing DEET often work best and provide longer lasting protection.
We can protect ourselves even further by limiting the mosquito population itself. Mosquitoes need standing water to reproduce, and some of the varieties that carry the Zika virus can reproduce with just a bottle cap’s worth of standing water. So, make sure you alleviate any sources of standing water on your property, including buckets, flowerpots, old tires, planters, etc.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also trying to limit the spread of the virus by warning people not to travel to areas experiencing a significant outbreak, for fear of the travelers becoming sick or bringing new cases of Zika virus to the United States
Bad News: Zika Virus May Cause a Significant Birth Defect
While symptoms of the Zika virus tend to be mild, circumstantial evidence ties the virus to a usually rare but significant birth defect called microcephaly, in which babies are born with atypically small heads and brain damage.
An increase in microcephaly was first reported in Brazil, where about 3 million babies are born a year and, typically, only about 150 cases of microcephaly are reported annually. At present, however, Brazil reports that health officials are investigating almost 4,000 cases.
It is not known what causes the relationship between Zika virus and microcephaly. It may be that the virus has mutated in some way that can increase the odds of microcephaly when a pregnant woman becomes infected, or it may be that Zika virus reacts with other existing infections to increase the risk of the defect. It’s also possible that Zika virus has nothing to do with the increase in microcephaly cases; however, the circumstantial evidence that it does is very strong, and women who are pregnant should heed the CDC’s advice about traveling to these regions.
Even if the virus does not result in microcephaly, it could cause other problems for newborns including vision and hearing problems.
But the good news is that Zika virus infection tends to remain in the blood for only about a week, so Zika infection does not preclude women from having healthy babies after an infection.
If you have any questions about how safe it is to travel or what precautions you should take for your health, you can discuss your concerns with your primary care provider or, for more specialized care, with an infectious disease specialist.
Appointments at Infectious Diseases of West Georgia, a Tanner Medical Group practice, can be made by calling 770-812-5837. More information about the practice is available at www.InfectiousDiseasesofWestGa.org.