Zika virus questions and answers

  • Published
  • 18th Air Force Public Affairs
With Mobility Airmen working around the globe, the Air Mobility Command Surgeon General has issued answers to common Zika-related questions. For more information about the Zika virus please visit the CDC's website http://www.cdc.gov/zika/.

Q: What is the Zika virus?

A: The Zika virus is part of the Flavivirus family which includes other viruses like West Nile, dengue, encephalitis, chikungunya, and yellow fever. This virus has been endemic in Africa and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands for years, but this is the first time it's been confirmed in the western hemisphere.

It is spread by a mosquito, more commonly by the aedes aegypti and the aedes albopictus mosquito breeds.  The most important thing to remember about those mosquitos is they are aggressive day time biters.


Q. How is Zika contracted?

A. The only way to contract the Zika virus is to travel to an area where it is endemic or where it's being transmitted right now. Currently, the Zika virus is not being transmitted within the United States. There have been people who have returned to the U.S. who have contracted the virus in South America, but they did not catch it here.

Q: What can people do to reduce the risk of contracting Zika?

A: You prevent contracting the Zika virus the same way you prevent mosquito bites. Deployers need to make sure they treat their uniforms and clothing with permethrin. Wear long sleeves and long pants during the day, and make sure you are wearing DEET mosquito repellent.

Q: Is insect repellent safe for pregnant women and small children?

A: Mosquito repellent is safe for children two months old and above as well as pregnant women as long as it is FDA approved. 

Q: If bitten by a mosquito how do recognize the symptoms?

A: Unfortunately the symptoms of the Zika virus are similar to many of the other viruses in the Flavivirus family.  Symptoms that should concern you are headaches, muscle aches, joint pain, conjunctivitis, and rashes.  If you end up with two or more of those symptoms and have been in an area where the Zika virus exists, you should see your doctor.  Interestingly, 80 percent of people who contract the Zika virus never show any symptoms at all.

Q: Does the Zika virus kill?

A: Most people will contract the virus and never know it.  Very few people will be hospitalized and almost no one dies from it.

Q: Is there a vaccine for Zika?

A:  Currently there is no vaccine for Zika.  However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is discussing working on one.

Q: What is the treatment for Zika?

A: Treatment includes rest, fluids, and over the counter medications for fever and muscle aches.

Q: Can it be transmitted to others? Can it be transmitted via bodily fluids?

A: Right now we do not have the answer to that. There is a case study about a man who in 2008 contracted the virus in Senegal [Africa], he went home and his wife then contracted the virus.  She had not been traveling to any places where the virus was prevalent, so they are concerned he spread that to her, possibly through sexual transmission.  There have also been animal studies that show that it may be sexually transmitted.  Right now that is an unproven hypothesis and there are no cases in our hemisphere that we know of where Zika has been transmitted from one human to another.

Q: If I am pregnant and catch the virus, how does the virus affect the fetus?

A: Pregnant women who contract the virus do not become any sicker than women who are not pregnant.  However, specifically in Brazil, they are concerned they are seeing a link between babies who are born to women who have contracted the Zika virus and microcephaly.  Microcephaly is condition where the brain doesn't develop properly in the uterus and the baby's head is smaller than normal when born.

Q: Should pregnant females avoid travel to a country with Zika?

A: Currently the CDC is recommending that women who are pregnant or are planning on becoming pregnant who don't need to travel to Central and South America don't do it.  If travel to areas where Zika is prevalent is unavoidable or if a women is already there and becomes pregnant and starts seeing symptoms, then she should see her physician who is providing her maternity care.  The current recommendations are that she has an ultrasound to examine the baby and see if there are any problems.

Q: What are your recommendations for deployers in Central and South America?

A: If travelers are going overseas, they should contact their base Public Health office for information on medical threats and prevention methods to ensure they remain healthy during the trip. We advise our deployers on mosquito precautions because there are mosquito borne diseases throughout the U.S. Southern Command's area of responsibility.  Specifically we worry about dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever.  So we ask our deployers to pretreat their uniforms and deploy them with a good supply of DEET.  If they should show any symptoms of any of the mosquito borne viruses [are headaches, muscle aches, joint pain, conjunctivitis, and rashes] they should go see their provider and discus whether or not they should be tested for the Zika virus.

If you think you have contracted the Zika virus or any other mosquito borne viruses, you should see your medical provider.