- The Zika virus is carried by mosquitoes and people, but usually spread by mosquitoes.Zika is an RNA virus related to the West Nile, yellow fever, and dengue viruses, and caused by the bite of the Aedes mosquito. These viral diseases have mosquitoes as their vector — the bug or organism that transmits an infection — and are generally not passed from person to person “A person bitten by a mosquito that has the virus then becomes viremic. They get bitten by another mosquito, which then passes the virus along.
2. Symptoms of Zika virus infection are usually mild. Eighty percent of people who become infected never have symptoms. In those who do, the most common Zika virus symptoms are fever and rash; it can also cause muscle and joint pain, headache, pain behind the eyes, and conjunctivitis (itchy, red eyes), note that symptoms generally last two to seven days. No effective treatment is available for Zika infection, but over-the-counter fever or pain medication can be helpful for symptom relief.
3. Unborn babies are most at risk from Zika virus complications. When pregnant women are infected with Zika, the unborn child is at risk, when it strikes women who are pregnant it’s producing a horrific effect of microcephalysays. Not knowing when in pregnancy the consequences are greatest. Microcephaly may cause mental retardation, as well as delays in speech, movement, and growth, according to the Mayo Clinic.
4. There’s no vaccine to protect against the Zika virus. There’s going to be a need to accelerate a Zika vaccine, the world got caught by surprise at the congenital infections. Now there’s going to be a lot of interest in a vaccine for women of reproductive age, like the rubella vaccine [to prevent birth defects]. Rubella vaccination is now mandatory for children and is a recommended vaccine for adults; it helps prevent miscarriage in pregnant women, and heart problems, blindness, and hearing loss in newborns.
5. Zika began in Africa and spread rapidly. The virus, originally named ZIKV, was first discovered in 1947 in a rhesus macaque in the Zika forest in Uganda. Researchers there found that it lived in mosquitoes, and they learned through experimentation that it could also infect mice.
6. Outbreaks were reported from 1951 to 1981 throughout Africa and Asia, and in 2007 in Polynesia where 73 percent of the population was infected. But since the first cases were discovered in Latin America in 2014, the virus has quickly spread. In December 2015, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) recommended Latin American countries start gearing up to screen for Zika and prepare for demands on the healthcare systems due to the severe health problems it’s causing in newborns.
7. Zika has reached Puerto Rico’s mosquitoes and may keep traveling north. “Puerto Rico has reported the first locally-acquired Zika virus case in the United States,” says Benjamin Haynes, a CDC spokesperson. The case was reported in December 2015.
8. “I think we have to proceed along a worst-case scenario that the Gulf Coast is at risk. We’re vulnerable,” says Hotez. “I’m not an alarmist. But I am worried about a Zika outbreak on the Gulf Coast.” That includes areas around Houston, New Orleans, and Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida, which are all potential hot zones for tropical diseases because mosquitoes thrive there.
9. U.S. travelers are bringing the viral disease back with them. These imported cases happen when a person is infected elsewhere and then visits or returns to the United States. “The first travel-associated Zika virus disease case among U.S. travelers was reported in 2007,” says Haynes. “From 2007 to 2014, a total of 14 returning U.S. travelers had positive Zika virus testing performed at the CDC.” He adds that in all of 2015 and in 2016 to date, more U.S. travelers have tested positive for the Zika virus. “The CDC is still receiving specimens for Zika virus testing from returning U.S. travelers who became ill in 2015 or 2016,” he cautions, which means the counts are getting higher. To date, the CDC has reported 107 travel-linked cases of Zika in U.S. states and 39 cases of local infections in U.S. territories.
10. Travelers probably won’t bring infected mosquitoes along with them. “It’s extremely unlikely that mosquitoes would be carried back to the United States by citizens traveling abroad,” says Jim Fredericks, PhD, chief entomologist and vice president of technical and regulatory affairs for the nonprofit National Pest Management Association in Fairfax, Virginia. “As adults, mosquitoes are a relatively fragile insect that doesn’t travel very well. In addition, since only a fraction of the total mosquito population in Zika-endemic areas carries the virus, it’s even less likely for an infective mosquito to be brought back alive,” he says. The bigger concern is that a person infected with the virus could pass it along to local mosquito populations.
11. You can help prevent Zika infection by using insect repellents. Travelers going to areas with current Zika outbreaks can take steps to avoid catching the virus. “The best way to avoid mosquito bites is to use a repellent correctly labeled for use when venturing outdoors, especially near dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active Whenever possible, it also makes sense to wear long sleeves and pants when outside during these times
12. Mosquito control can help prevent Zika. Controlling the insect vector by cutting down on mosquito breeding is one way to prevent spread of this and other mosquito-borne viruses. Breeding sites include water-filled habitats like plant containers and toilets inside the home, and puddles, birdbaths, and pooled water outdoors. Chemical pesticides can kill mosquitoes, but you should contact a professional pest control operator, licensed in mosquito control to prevent contamination that could be harmful to your health.
All County can perform a Home/Pest Evaluation if you have any further questions or concerns about your home and how it relates to pest prevention. We offer complete lawn & garden treatment packages to help control ticks and adult mosquitoes. Our Home Protection Plan is the best pest protection for you, your family and your home.