With the recent outbreak of Ebola fresh on our minds, the world now faces another threat. Experts say that the Zika virus has the potential to be more destructive than Ebola. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Zika virus outbreak a global emergency. There is no vaccination or specific treatment of the disease so those infected must recover on their own. The good news is that the symptoms of the actual disease are considered quite mild and include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. In many cases there are no symptoms at all, compared to Ebola which had serious symptoms and a very high mortality rate. So then why should you care? Zika has been linked to an extremely high chance of birth defects in pregnant women and may linger in women even after they fight off the disease.

Currently, the confirmed cases are limited but experts say that it has the potential to become a pandemic like Ebola if left unchecked. They primarily spread through animal or insect bites. The majority of cases have been linked to mosquito bites which makes it easily transmittable in areas high in mosquitoes like Africa. There have been other cases where Zika was sexually transmitted, so unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex are all viable delivery methods. South Korea reported their first Zika virus case from a citizen that went on a trip to Africa. The CDC and WHO advise all pregnant women to consult their doctors before traveling and for everyone to be careful of the Zika virus when traveling.

Mosquito sucking blood on a human hand