A
preliminary report by the Dallas County Department of Health indicated
that a person in Texas contracted the Zika virus via sexual contact with
someone returning from Venezuela. While the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) has not yet confirmed that the Zika virus was
indeed sexually transmitted, finding another mode of transmission beyond
mosquito bites would be troubling. With the virus now seen in over 30
countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international public health emergency. So is it time to panic and buy some duct tape? No. What, then, should you do?
If you are thinking of avoiding anyone who looks like they have the
Zika virus, forget it. You can’t profile people who are infected with
Zika. An estimated 75% of infected people have no symptoms.
Therefore, to be safe, you’d have to avoid everyone. When present,
symptoms usually begin between a couple days to a couple weeks after
infection and last no more than a week. It appears that people can
remain infectious up to one month after being exposed to the Zika virus.
Observed symptoms include a mild fever, skin rash (often on the face),
muscle and joint pain, redness and irritation of the eye (similar to
“pink eye”) and a run down feeling. Therefore, you can’t really diagnose
Zika virus infection by symptoms alone as the symptoms are very similar
to many flu-like illnesses. Blood tests do exist, but currently people are not routinely tested for Zika virus. There is also currently no treatment or vaccine for Zika.
So, what can you do to avoid Zika virus infection? If you are traveling to countries with mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus, avoid mosquito bites in a similar fashion as you would when traveling to countries that have mosquitoes carrying the pathogens that cause malaria or Dengue. This includes minimizing the amount of skin you leave exposed (this is not the time to wear a crop top or a Speedo, as opposed to all the other times you should be wearing a Speedo), staying in air-conditioned areas that are free of mosquitoes, sleeping under bed nets if your sleeping quarters may have mosquitoes and using proper insect repellent.
Sort of like wearing too much cologne, insect repellents mask the things emitted by your body that may attract mosquitoes, such as carbon dioxide and heat. You tend to emit more carbon dioxide and heat when you exercise…so avoiding twerking outside and at mosquitoes. Other than holding your breath forever and wearing an ice tuxedo, you can’t really prevent yourself from emitting carbon dioxide or heat. Look for insect repellents with DEET (diethyltoluamide), which tends to be more effective against mosquitoes that carry disease. On this website, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers guidance on insect repellent selection.
Without taking the above precautions, you will find it difficult to avoid mosquito bites. In fact, many mosquito bites are undetectable. Just because someone doesn’t have obvious bites, does not mean he or she hasn’t been bitten.
World Health Organization chief Margaret
Chan has declared the growing Zika virus epidemic a global health
emergency. (Photo credit FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)
So, what can you do to avoid Zika virus infection? If you are traveling to countries with mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus, avoid mosquito bites in a similar fashion as you would when traveling to countries that have mosquitoes carrying the pathogens that cause malaria or Dengue. This includes minimizing the amount of skin you leave exposed (this is not the time to wear a crop top or a Speedo, as opposed to all the other times you should be wearing a Speedo), staying in air-conditioned areas that are free of mosquitoes, sleeping under bed nets if your sleeping quarters may have mosquitoes and using proper insect repellent.
Sort of like wearing too much cologne, insect repellents mask the things emitted by your body that may attract mosquitoes, such as carbon dioxide and heat. You tend to emit more carbon dioxide and heat when you exercise…so avoiding twerking outside and at mosquitoes. Other than holding your breath forever and wearing an ice tuxedo, you can’t really prevent yourself from emitting carbon dioxide or heat. Look for insect repellents with DEET (diethyltoluamide), which tends to be more effective against mosquitoes that carry disease. On this website, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers guidance on insect repellent selection.
Without taking the above precautions, you will find it difficult to avoid mosquito bites. In fact, many mosquito bites are undetectable. Just because someone doesn’t have obvious bites, does not mean he or she hasn’t been bitten.
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