As Zika virus continues to spread worldwide, among the crucial travel-related questions is exactly what to do if you get a mosquito bite in a Zika zone. Very first and foremost, it’s essential to remember that if you’re not pregnant — and not attempting to come to be pregnant — an infection along with Zika will certainly probably have actually couple of good health consequences. However, if you or your partner are pregnant (or could come to be pregnant), there are a couple of basic yet essential measures that can easily be taken if you suspect you could have actually Zika.
According to the Centers for Health problem Regulate and Prevention, most individuals that contract Zika will certainly be asymptomatic. For those that reveal symptoms, the most common are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. The incubation period for Zika is probably between a couple of days and one week, and symptoms of Zika, if you’re symptomatic at all, need to clear up within 7 days, according to the CDC. If you’re bitten by a mosquito in a Zika zone and make symptoms within two weeks of your last day in the area, see a doctor. They’ll ask questions concerning where you were traveling. Depending on the situation, they could order examinations for Zika and various other tropical illnesses adore dengue fever. If you test positive for Zika, there’s truly not a lot you can easily do yet get hold of some bed rest, water, acetaminophen, and wait for the mild disease to pass.
CDC’s guidance to men: if you’ve traveled to Zika-damaged area, think about no sex or using condoms w/a pregnant partner https://t.co/amPxlsZSeA
— MotherToBaby CA (@MotherToBabyCA) February 12, 2016
The crucial thing for somebody that suspects they have actually Zika is to ensure they don’t spread it to others. Most contract Zika via an infected mosquito, yet there have actually likewise been reported cases of sexually transmitted Zika. Specifically, Zika spreads from an infected man’s sperm. According to the CDC, in every one of yet one case, the Health problem was transmitted sexually as soon as the man was actively experiencing Zika symptoms, though it’s feasible to spread the virus sexually prior to symptoms emerge.
Men along with pregnant (or potentially pregnant) partners need to be merely as careful concerning taking a trip to countries where Zika in prevalent as the woman herself need to be. The CDC recommends that pregnant women need to either abstain from sex (vaginal, anal, and oral) entirely, or usage a condom each time they have actually sex for the remainder of their pregnancy if their partner could have actually been exposed to Zika. What’s more, according to The Brand-new York Times, British good health authorities recommend that men need to constantly usage a condom for 28 days after returning from a Zika zone, whether their parter is pregnant or not. After all, half of pregnancies are unintended, so it’s perfectly plausible to transmit Zika to a partner that doesn’t already know that she’ll soon be pregnant.
Zika is prevalent in countries where abortion is illegal, near zero contraception access, and no sex ed. Don’t blame women obtaining pregnant.
— Charles (@MrLXC) February 2, 2016
If you’re pregnant and suspect you could have actually Zika, the crucial step is to visit a doctor. According to The Brand-new York Times, the CDC’s guidelines for pregnant women along with suspected Zika are regularly in flux, yet in most cases, the doctor will certainly either order a blood test for Zika, a fetal ultrasound to search for signs of microcephaly, or both. Importantly, blood examinations just detect the virus throughout the Very first week or so of the infection.
It’s clear that monitoring for Zika is super essential for pregnant women, women that are attempting to come to be pregnant, or their partners. yet if you don’t fall in to any sort of of these categories, there is still an interesting, yet somewhat unlikely, method that you could accidentally infect a pregnant woman. A individual along with Zika can easily transmit the virus back to a mosquito if the Zika-infected individual gets a mosquito bite. From there, the infected mosquito can easily pass it spine to a human. Wacky, right? For this reason, the CDC recommends that if you suspect Zika, you should stay clear of mosquito bites throughout the Very first week of the illness.
NICOLAS DERNE/AFP/Getty ImagesThis picture taken on February 26, 2016, shows a banner warning concerning the risks of virus Zika for pregnant women besides an ultrasound room in Fort-de-France. The banner reads : ‘Zika spreads, pregnant women, protect yourselves !’A prevention campaign warning concerning the risks of virus Zika has actually been deployed in the French Caribbean prior to Marisol Touraine visit in Martinique on February 26, 2016. / AFP / Nicolas Derné (Photo credit need to read NICOLAS DERNE/AFP/Getty Images)
Unfortunately, there are still several unknowns concerning Zika. several women hope to already know whether a past infection along with Zika can easily affect future pregnancies. The answer appears to be ‘no.’ According to TheTimes, experts believe that “the virus does not appear to linger in the body, and individuals that recover from the infection are immune.”
The news concerning Zika is rarely ever good, yet future immunity? Sounds adore a feasible silver lining.