{"id":4802,"date":"2016-01-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/2016\/01\/28\/zika-virus-prevention-is-key\/"},"modified":"2024-07-17T09:27:45","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T15:27:45","slug":"zika-virus-prevention-is-key","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/zika-virus-prevention-is-key\/","title":{"rendered":"Zika virus: Prevention is key"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The mosquito-borne Zika virus is making headlines for its rapid spread through South and Central America, Mexico, Puerto Rico and parts of the Caribbean, including the United States Virgin Islands, since May 2015, as well as its potential link to neurological syndromes.<\/p>\n

Also in early February, a Texas health department announced that a woman who had not travelled in the past three weeks has become infected with the Zika virus after having sexual contact with an infected person who had traveled to a Zika-endemic area. This refutes earlier reports that the virus most likely couldn\u2019t be transmitted through person-to-person contact, according to WHO. The CDC has since confirmed that an infected male can pass the virus to his female or male sex partners.<\/p>\n

UCHealth disease experts say prevention is paramount to avoiding the disease.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough we don\u2019t know all the ways Zika virus disease can manifest, we do know it is largely transmitted by mosquitoes, so preventing mosquito bites when in Zika-endemic areas is very important,\u201d said Dr. Daniel Pastula<\/a>, neurologist, medical epidemiologist and arboviral disease expert with UCHealth.<\/p>\n

The Feb. 2 confirmed case of Zika in the Texas women was the first U.S. case of Zika virus infection in a non-traveler in the continental U.S., according to CDC.
\nThe Zika virus is usually a mild, self-limiting viral disease<\/a>. Only one in five infected will experience fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes) lasting a few days to a week or more.<\/p>\n

A major cause for concern with the virus arises from a possible correlation between the virus and neurological birth defects in babies born to infected mothers as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome in others.<\/p>\n

Microcephaly is a birth defect in which the baby\u2019s head is much smaller than expected.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMicrocephaly is usually associated with poor brain development; the brain and fetus don\u2019t develop properly,\u201d said UCHealth\u2019s Dr. David Beckham<\/a>, an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at University of Colorado School of Medicine. Beckham also directs the neurological infection fellowship program at CU. \u201cIt\u2019s a syndrome, and one cause is infection \u2014 the cytomegalovirus being the most common. It\u2019s a relatively rare birth defect, so having so many cases in Brazil, at the same time as this (Zika) outbreak, is why it\u2019s concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because of the possible connection, the CDC put out a level two alert<\/a>, recommending travelers take enhanced precautions<\/a> if traveling to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. In addition, it recommends that pregnant women or those planning to become pregnant consider postponing travel to those areas. This\u00a0recommendation includes the male sexual partners of these women because Zika can be sexually transmitted. Pregnant women or those planning to become\u00a0pregnant\u00a0should refrain from sex for several weeks, or use a condom, with a\u00a0sexual partner who has traveled to a Zika-endemic area. Visit CDC.gov\/zika<\/a> for the most updated precautions.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently, there are no disease modifying therapies or a vaccine for the virus, and therefore prevention is key,\u201d Pastula said. \u201cTo prevent Zika and other mosquito-borne viral diseases such as dengue and chikungunya, you need to prevent mosquito bites.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pastula recommends that people:
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