Infection with ZIKV typically results in a mild, self-limiting illness. During the recent outbreaks in French Polynesia and Brazil, however, complications such as periarticular edema, rash, non-purulent conjunctivitis, and pruritus have been reported5.
Infected women who become pregnant can also experience microcephaly and other severe birth defects in their babies. Understanding how long ZIKV RNA persists in different body fluids is important for future research to design effective vaccines and drugs.
Symptoms
Most people infected with Zika virus don’t have symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they’re usually mild and last a few days to a week. They can include a fever, rash, joint or muscle pain, conjunctivitis (pink eye), and headache.
In rare cases, Zika infection may cause serious brain disease including swelling of the brain (encephalitis) or tissues around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). It can also cause a blood disorder that leads to bleeding in the lungs or brain (hemorrhagic stroke), or severe skin rash, red eyes, and swelling of the hands and feet (erythema nodosum).
Zika virus infection during pregnancy can lead to birth defects, including microcephaly. It can also cause other problems, such as limb abnormalities, high muscle tone, and vision or hearing loss in babies. The infection also has been linked to a nerve disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome.
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Most pregnant women who have been infected with Zika don’t have any symptoms, but about 1 in 5 women who have a Zika infection during pregnancy develop microcephaly. Other birth defects associated with Zika infection during pregnancy include limb abnormalities, high muscle tone, vision or hearing loss, and brain damage.
The best way to protect against Zika is to avoid mosquito bites. Use insect repellent when going outside, and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants. Avoiding sexual transmission is also important. If you have been in an area where Zika has spread, talk to your health care provider before having unprotected sex.
There is no cure or vaccine for Zika, but rest, plenty of fluids, and acetaminophen to relieve pain and fever can help. Most people recover from the illness without treatment, but some can get a nerve disorder linked to Zika, Guillain-Barre syndrome, which causes weakness or paralysis of the arms and legs. This can happen after many infections, but is more likely if you have the Zika infection and are older or have other medical problems.
Transmission
Zika is spread mostly through the bites of infected mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus) that breed in areas with standing water. These mosquitoes typically attack during the day but can bite at night as well. The virus can also be spread through sexual contact.
Most people who get Zika do not have symptoms. If they have symptoms, they usually feel feverish, have a rash, headache, joint and muscle pain, and red eyes.
Symptoms are generally mild and last for about a week. Rarely, the disease can cause swelling of the brain (encephalitis), tissue around the brain (meningitis) and spinal cord (myelitis). It can also cause a blood disorder that results in bleeding, bruising and slow blood clotting.
The most concerning complication of Zika is the link to microcephaly and other birth defects in babies born to women who were infected during pregnancy. Zika has also been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare condition in which the immune system attacks part of the nervous system causing weakness and a feeling of pins and needles.
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Since the first outbreaks in Brazil in 2015, local transmission of Zika has spread rapidly across South America, Central America and the Caribbean. It is now present in more than 86 countries and territories worldwide.
While the disease has caused a lot of concern, it is important to remember that most cases of infection are mild and resolve on their own.
The CDC recommends that pregnant women do not travel to areas with active Zika outbreaks. If a woman does travel to a Zika-infected area, she should protect herself from mosquito bites by wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, using insect repellent, sleeping under a mosquito net, and making sure that her doors and windows are tightly closed and screened. Pregnant women should talk to their health care provider if they have any concerns. Currently, there is no vaccine or medicine for Zika. Scientists are working to develop one, but it will take years before a vaccine is available. Zika can also be transmitted through blood transfusions and infected fetal cells.
Prevention
The primary way to prevent Zika infection is to protect against mosquito bites, particularly during the daytime when the Aedes aegypti mosquito is most active. Taking steps to eliminate mosquito breeding sites can also reduce the likelihood of Zika, chikungunya and dengue outbreaks.
Prevention measures include personal protection, such as using insect repellents (with DEET or IR3535) and wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants; use of physical barriers to minimize exposure, such as mosquito nets and window screens; and avoidance of areas where outbreaks have occurred. Public health authorities may also spray public spaces to kill mosquitoes in an effort to control the spread of disease.
Most people infected with Zika don’t show any symptoms or have mild ones, so the infection often goes undetected. But it’s important for anyone who has traveled to a Zika-infected area to be tested for the virus, especially pregnant women. Their doctor may want to perform a fetal ultrasound and other tests if they’re worried about a possible Zika-related birth defect.
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It is not known how long the Zika virus can remain in sperm or vaginal fluids, so people who have the virus may still pass it to their partners through sex even if they don’t have any symptoms. Pregnant women should talk to their obstetrician about their risk and use barrier methods for all sexual activities (including vaginal, anal and oral sex) while they have the virus. This includes condoms and dental dams, which should be used correctly each time for all sex and when sharing sex toys.
People who return to areas with Zika transmission should practice careful personal protection and prevent mosquito bites until they have been symptom-free for 3 weeks. They should also practice safer sex or abstain from sexual activity during that time to limit their risk of passing the virus to their partners.
It is important to have access to safe and effective contraception and counseling for all sexually active men and women, regardless of whether they live in or travel to areas with Zika outbreaks. These measures help to reduce pregnancy and fetal abnormalities associated with the virus.
Treatment
There is no vaccine or antiviral medicine to treat Zika virus infection. Rest, fluids and acetaminophen to relieve fever and pain are recommended. The virus rarely causes serious problems in adults, but it can cause a severe birth defect called microcephaly in newborns. Babies born with this defect have very small heads and a smaller brain. Infection with the Zika virus during pregnancy can also lead to miscarriages and stillbirths.
Researchers are looking at ways to prevent and treat Zika. These include tests that can detect the virus in a sample of blood or urine (Zika viral load tests), and serological tests that look for antibodies your body makes to fight the infection (although these can take several weeks to show up).
Zika can be spread by mosquitoes from the Aedes genus, which bite during the day in tropical and subtropical areas. It can also be spread from mother to fetus during pregnancy, sexual contact and through blood transfusions.
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The most common symptom of Zika virus infection is a fever, rash and joint pain. The symptoms usually last for two to seven days. The most important step to prevent the spread of Zika is to protect against mosquito bites. This includes wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellent, and sleeping under a mosquito net when possible, especially during the daytime and in places where there are many mosquitoes.
Researchers have been studying some new medicines to try to stop the virus from spreading. These include a chemical called 7-deaza-2′-C-methyladenosine, which has been shown to be effective against ZIKV in mice and nonhuman primates with experimental infections. This drug works by blocking the activity of a protein in the cells that carry sperm, which allows them to enter a cell and reproduce. Another drug being studied is the adenosine analog NITD008, which has been shown to inhibit the growth of ZIKV in cultured cells.
Other studies are examining whether human convalescent serum has the potential to limit ZIKV infection and cell death in fetal brain cells. One study found that convalescent serum reversed thinning of the cortex in fetal mice that were infected with ZIKV.
