Around this time last year, the Ebola epidemic had the United States in a panic.
That threat has passed, but there’s a new virus scaring the country: the Zika virus.
You might have heard frightening stories about the potentials of Zika, including microcephaly in babies infected during the pregnancy. The defect causes an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development.
The virus can also cause symptoms like fever, rash, joint pain, muscle aches, red eyes and headaches.
A possible link is being investigated between Zika and Guillain-Barré syndrome, a potentially deadly nervous system disorder that causes paralysis and muscle weakness, according to the Center for Disease Control.
These outcomes became even more alarming when a case of Zika in Indiana was announced last week.
However, panicking is not the way to handle virus outbreaks. Knowing the facts about the Zika virus can prevent you from contracting it.
For example, it’s important to know the Zika virus is primarily transferred through mosquito bites.
This means unless you are traveling to a region where mosquitos are passing the virus around — or an infected person brings the virus to your area while mosquitos are active — you should not have to worry about contracting it this way.
There has yet to be a case of Zika in the U.S. that has been passed through mosquito bites. All of the cases reported in the country so far have been contracted in other areas and then brought to the U.S. through travel. The CDC calls these “imported” cases.
If you’re at risk for contracting Zika through mosquito bites, it’s essential you prevent getting bitten by using bug spray and wearing protective clothing.
Also, it’s important to note that it may be possible for the illness to be passed from person to person through sexual contact. Debby Herbenick, sex researcher and human sexuality professor at IU, wrote a letter to the editor to the Indiana Daily Student last week to talk about just that.
She stressed the importance of preventing mosquito bites if you are planning to travel to a tropical destination that has a Zika outbreak during spring break.
While you should be wearing a condom with your spring break hookups anyway, condoms can also protect against Zika.
CDC officials recommend wearing a condom during any sexual act with someone who could be carrying the virus, perhaps for up to six months after being in an area where Zika is present.
Herbenick also recommends condoms even if there is another birth control method in place such as the pill or an intrauterine device.
This is to prevent not just the pregnancy outcomes, but the actual symptoms of the illness as well.
However, it’s rare that anyone is hospitalized for the symptoms, and even rarer that someone dies from Zika. While the Zika outbreak is cause for concern, it is not nearly as threatening as it seems.
As long as you stay aware of your potential for exposure and take the right precautions when that potential is high, then you should be safe from contracting Zika.
elyjohns@indiana.edu
@ElyseJWrites
