The Zika virus has been spreading across the country and people are worried. But what is it?
According to an article posted on the Advance Healthcare Network for Nurses website. The virus that is transmitted to humans through a type of mosquito causes fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. There are no medications or vaccines to treat or prevent the virus, although the virus very rarely causes death. The symptoms typically last a few days to a week. The United States has started seeing a few cases in Florida and Illinois, with Texas and Hawaii reporting travel-related cases as well. Concerns are mounting here in the states as these reported cases come following an outbreak of the same virus in South America, primarily Brazil and its neighboring countries.
Particularly, the virus affects pregnant women, and has been reported to cause an increased risk of babies being born with microcephaly. That is a condition that causes smaller-than-normal head size and underdeveloped brains.
For more information, read the full article.