Primghar, Iowa — Recently we’ve been hearing a lot on the news about the Zika virus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, Zika virus disease is a disease caused by the Zika virus, which is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis, or red eyes. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika, but there are risks, especially to pregnant women.
O’Brien County Public Health Nurse Lisa Youngers tells us about the risk for Zika in northwest Iowa.
Youngers says while the transmission of Zika is not likely in our area, mosquitoes do transmit plenty of other diseases, so it’s a good idea to prevent mosquito bites.
That site again is cdc.gov.
She says that Zika can also be spread sexually, and she again advises to check that website for the appropriate information.
She tells us a little bit more about how the virus affects pregnant women and their unborn children.
Again, Youngers recommends the web site cdc.gov for more information.
