The Situation with Zika Virus in 2019
Are you traveling to Zika risk area?
If you are off on an adventure this year to another part of the globe, are you up to date on the latest news when it comes to mosquito-borne diseases and how to protect yourself? One question you might ask yourself, is do you still need to worry about the threat of the Zika virus? Here’s an article with some points to consider.
Do Travelers Still Need to Worry About the Zika Virus in 2019?
On a recent trip to Southeast Asia, I saw signs warning about Zika transmission and realized that it had been over a year since I had heard about the virus. And though a lot has changed the Zika outbreak, Zika is still affecting almost 100 countries in some capacity. After interviewing medical professionals and researching Zika on the CDC’s website, I think this underreporting is the result of zero reported cases of mosquito-bite transmission of Zika in the continental U.S. in 2018.
There doesn’t appear to be any major travel warnings if you are heading to an area deemed to be at risk, other then to make sure you protect yourself from mosquito bites by wearing appropriate mosquito repellent.
You can never be too careful when it comes to mosquitoes
It’s better to take the better safe than sorry approach. Zika may have ‘fallen off of people’s radar’ but it’s still very much out there. There are also mosquito-borne viruses that can be potentially even more damaging to your health, especially if you are a pregnant woman.
A Virus Even More Dangerous Than Zika to Pregnant Women
The mosquito-borne virus that causes Rift Valley fever may severely injure human fetuses if contracted by mothers during pregnancy, according to new research. In a study published last month in the journal Science Advances, researchers used infected rats and human fetal tissue to discover how the virus targets the placenta. Results showed that the virus may be even more damaging to fetuses than the Zika virus, which set off a global crisis in 2015 and left thousands of babies in Central America and South America with severe birth defects.
Before departing on your travels, please ensure that you know how to protect yourself. Zika has not gone away!
A fan of a nice cup of tea, a vintage camera, books, music, writing and meeting new and exciting people developing their own ventures.
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