The Zika Virus has not been as big of a affair back the aboriginal cogent beginning in 2016. However, with boiling acclimate and rain added accustomed in the warmer months, mosquitoes that backpack Zika will abide to be a risk. For abundant women, this is a absolute affair because of the acceptable articulation amid the Zika virus and babies built-in with microcephaly. While the blackmail of Zika is not abundant at this point in time, it is consistently acceptable to be abreast about the virus and how people, abnormally pregnant women, can assure themselves.

What is the Zika Virus?

According to the Centers for Ache Ascendancy (CDC), Zika is a virus advance primarily to bodies through the chaw of an adulterated Aedes breed mosquito. Accepted affection accommodate fever, rash, collective pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). Affliction is usually mild, with affection alone abiding a few canicule to a anniversary afterwards actuality bitten. Bodies about don’t get ailing abundant to go to the hospital, and they rarely die. Best don’t alike apprehend they’ve been infected. Luckily, already infected, you’re absurd to become adulterated again.

The Zika virus was aboriginal apparent in 1947 and was called afterwards the Zika Backwoods in Uganda. In May 2015, The Pan American Bloom Alignment issued an active apropos the aboriginal accepted Zika virus infection in Brazil. On February 1, 2016, the Apple Bloom Alignment (WHO) declared the Zika virus a accessible bloom emergency of all-embracing concern.

Quick Facts About Zika

• You can anticipate Zika by alienated mosquito bites. Analysis out Customer Reports favorite repellents for angry Zika here.
• Mosquitoes that advance Zika chaw mostly during the daytime.
• Mosquitoes that advance Zika additionally advance dengue and Chikungunya viruses.
• You can anticipate the animal manual of Zika by application a condom or abstaining.
• When traveling to a country area mosquitoes advance the Zika Virus, accomplish sure you are abundantly able and booty all all-important precautions.
• There is no vaccine or anesthetic to amusement the virus. If you anticipate you are ill, argue a physician who can advice you amusement the symptoms.

The Zika Virus and Pregnancy

Zika virus can be advance from a abundant woman to her fetus and has been affiliated to a serious bearing birthmark of the academician alleged microcephaly. The CDC recommends appropriate precautions for abundant women and suggests pregnant women should accede dabbling travel to areas with Zika.

In 2015 and 2016, the Americas accomplished a austere beginning of Zika. There was additionally an access in the cardinal of breed built-in with microcephaly. Although there is accretion affirmation of a articulation amid Zika and microcephaly, the CDC credibility out that we do not apperceive if these babies’ microcephaly is a aftereffect of their mothers’ Zika virus infection during abundance because added factors can additionally account microcephaly.

Here’s What We (Still) Don’t Know

• How acceptable is a abundant woman to arrangement Zika if apparent to an adulterated mosquito?
• How will the virus affect her abundance if a abundant woman is infected? We don’t apperceive how acceptable it is (or is not) that Zika will canyon to her fetus.
• Will the fetus advance bearing defects afterwards actuality adulterated with the virus? We’re not abiding back in pregnancy, the infection ability account abuse to the fetus.
• We don’t apperceive if animal manual of Zika virus poses a altered accident of birth defects than mosquito-borne transmission.

The CDC says that, based on the accessible evidence, “we anticipate that Zika virus infection in a woman who is not abundant would not affectation a accident for bearing defects in approaching pregnancies afterwards the virus has austere from her blood.”

Well, here’s hoping!

Knowing this advice is abnormally important back experts adumbrate a warmer than boilerplate summer. They say this could accredit the mosquitoes to advance through added of the south and the east Affiliated States. It could additionally advance temperatures in the hottest genitalia of Texas, Arizona, and California college than optimal for mosquitoes. Altitude are best accustomed in July, August, and September. So basically, what we’re adage actuality is that you ability appetite to accumulate a canteen of Off Abysmal Dupe accessible at all times during the summer. That’s not too difficult, right?

Although the blackmail of Zika is boilerplate abreast area it was aback in 2016, we appetite to allotment this advice to accomplish abiding that abundant mamas break informed. Abrasion your bug spray. Don’t biking to countries with aerial numbers of Zika cases while pregnant. Break abreast (we can advice with that), and as we consistently say — bigger to err on the ancillary of over-precaution. Break safe!