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Zika is a disease that is caused by a mosquito- borne virus. It was first noticed in Uganda in 1947. It spreads with the bite of the Aedes mosquito, which are found to bite during the day. This mosquito is also responsible for the spread of dengue, chikungunya and hay fever. Thus, this disease spreads when a mosquito that has bitten an infected person, bites other people. Apart from mosquitoes, it was also found that Zika could be spread through sexual transmission, even when the symptoms of the disease were not present. Symptoms The symptoms that surface with this disease are quite similar to those of other arbovirus infections like dengue. Hence, some of the common symptoms you are likely to see, include: • Conjunctivitis • Skin rashes • Fever • Pain in the muscles and joints • Headache • Malaise The virus remains in the body of an infected person for about a week. It is not clear how soon the symptoms surface after being infected. But, they are usually mild and last from several days to a week. The symptoms of this disease are quite mild and people don’t always realise that they have been infected by the virus. Hence, they get rarely admitted to hospitals for this disease. If you have recently lived or travelled to an area having this virus (The Caribbean, Central America, The Pacific Islands, and South America), you should definitely consider visiting your healthcare provider and getting yourself checked. You may need to take a blood test to check for signs of the virus. Treatment As of now, there is no vaccine available for the Zika virus. A person once infected cannot contract the virus again. Since the disease is usually mild, there is no fixed treatment in place. People are merely advised to get rest, drink lots of water and use common medicines for the treatment of pain and fever. If pregnant women get infected, there is the possibility of birth defects surfacing in the baby. #zikavirus #symptomsofzika #treatmentforzika #truthaboutzikavirus FB0083