Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Zika Virus

A. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention describes the Zika virus as a disease most commonly spread by way of bites from infected mosquitos.

A. Most infected people will say they experienced no initial symptoms of the virus. Those who do feel symptoms will likely experience a fever, itchy rash, bloodshot eyes, sore joints, headaches and light sensitivity.

A. The bite of an infected mosquito will do the trick. If a woman who is pregnant gets infected with the virus, it’s possible for her to pass the infection to her fetus. Also, any person infected with the virus poses a risk of passing the virus on via sex.

A. For most sufferers, symptoms can range from none at all (most common) to mild ones, which can last up to a week. The real issues come up for those who are pregnant, whereby the unborn fetus can become infected with the virus and can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects.

A. While the areas at risk for the virus vary, as it can be carried by different species of mosquito, which in turn means the virus can follow the mosquito almost anywhere; there are some destinations most commonly found on the list of highest-risk, such as: United States (Florida & Texas), Cape Verde in Africa, Costa Rica and Mexico.

Plus, check out 20 of the best Zika-free beach destinations.

A. Men who have traveled to a place with a CDC Zika travel notice or an area of Zika active transmission in the United States should wait at least 6 months after travel (or 6 months after symptoms started if they get sick) before trying to conceive with their partner. Women should wait at least 8 weeks after travel (or 8 weeks after symptoms started if they get sick) before trying to get pregnant.

A. While leading experts in world health suggest the virus will eventually reach everywhere from Florida to Argentina, locales where the originating infected mosquitos first spread the virus, there are currently over 45 destinations which pregnant women are strongly cautioned against visiting, primarily in the South Pacific and Americas.

A. Unfortunately, there is no available at-home test for those who think they may be infected with the virus, and given that the symptoms – if felt at all – are so mild, this can prove to be one of the biggest issues in early detection. In order to get tested for the Zika virus, you’ll need to get into a medical laboratory and supply a blood or urine sample, which will need to be provided within the first two weeks of any symptoms. Even with medical-grade testing, it’s possible to get false-positive results.

A. The simple answer here is NO. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine against the virus yet, and while experts have begun actively working towards developing treatment and preventative medicine, there’s nothing currently in place other than actively avoiding areas of high risk and always using measures like mosquito repellent, covered clothing and other popular practices against safeguarding yourself against bites.

Plus, see 20 ways to avoid Zika when travelling.