WHO | Update on Zika Virus. Read Article to Know How to Protect Yourself

Mosquitoes infect humans and people can infect each other through sexual transmission. Zika has been detected in blood, saliva, semen, spinal and other body fluids. Mother to child transmission in early pregnancy has also been reported. Aedes bites mostly during the day.

Symptoms:

Sympoms are usually mild and can include mild fever, skin rash, inflammation of the eyes (conjunctivitis), muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache. Symptoms normally last for 2 - 7 days. Zika infection during pregnancy causes microcephaly, babies born with small heads, and other fetal brain malformations. Zika is also a cause of Guillain-Barré Syndrome - a neurological condition that can lead to paralysis and death.

Protect your health:

The best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites. Personal protection with repellents, clothing that covers exposed skin and use of nets when resting during the day; window screens and destruction of breeding sites are recommended. There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available.

To reduce the risk of sexual transmission and potential pregnancy complications related to Zika virus infection people living in/travelling to/or returning from affected areas should practice safer sex, including wearing condoms.

Areas at risk: Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. Female Aedes aegypti, and Aedes albopictus are found in over 130 countries. There has been a steep rise in local Zika transmission in the Americas; since 2015, 62 countries and territories reported mosquito transmitted Zika virus. WHO announced a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 1 February 2016.