We’ve been getting quite a few questions about Zika virus, and wanted to share some important facts with you:
- Right now Zika virus infections are very rare in the US. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes.
- In most cases, the illness is mild with symptoms lasting less than a week, severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon and deaths are rare.
- There’s no vaccine or specific treatment for the disease. Treatment instead focuses on relieving symptoms and includes rest, rehydration, and medications for fever and pain.
- The virus is transmitted when an Aedes mosquito bites a person with an active infection and then spreads the virus by biting others.
- In January 2016, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued travel guidance on affected countries which include Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname, Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela. The travel warning included the use of enhanced precautions, and guidelines for pregnant women including considering postponing travel.
- The CDC is concerned because there may be a connection between the virus and microcephaly, a neurological disorder that results in babies being born with abnormally small heads. This causes severe developmental issues and sometimes death.
- Because there is no vaccine or medication to treat this infection, the only protection against Zika is to avoid travel to areas with an active infestation. If you do travel to a country where Zika is present, the CDC advises strict adherence to mosquito protection measures: Use an EPA-approved repellent over sunscreen, wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts thick enough to block a mosquito bite, and sleep in air-conditioned, screened rooms, among others.
- There are some excellent resouces for more information including the CDC’s Zika website and the AAP’s Healthy Children Zika virus website.
We hope this helps, and encourage you to call and speak with your child’s pediatrician if you have any other questions or concerns. For those of you with portal access feel free to email us with questions.