3 Facts About The Zika Virus You Didn't Know, But Should

Zika Virus CDC virus pregnant women Microcephaly

By Dianne Francisco , Parent Herald Mar 26, 07:46 pm

Zika virus is one of the most feared diseases these days and every country is currently monitoring updates regarding this issue. But what is it about this virus that is really dangerous and why everyone seems to be panicking, specifically those who are pregnant.

According to Parents.com, there is a chance that this virus could even go further affecting more and more countries apart from its origin - South America and Brazil. Here are three of the things that you need to know about this virus before you panic or even think of getting pregnant:

1. It is a mosquito-transmitted disease and it's not an STD: With the warning given by local officials to their citizens saying they should use protection if they are sexually active because this virus might affect women's pregnancy, some people actually assumed that this disease has something to do with their unhealthy partners. That is wrong and the only reason why the government wants everyone to use protection is to prevent women from getting pregnant while this epidemic is currently on-going.

Nunca tive tanto medo de um mosquito como estou tendo hj em dia #zikavirus #zika #tentantes #futurasmamaes #gestantes #maedemenina #maedemenino #microcefalia

A photo posted by Hapy Baby (@meubebee) on Mar 25, 2016 at 6:08pm PDT

2. It is not dangerous for non-pregnant women: The effects on adults or anyone who would be bitten by a mosquito that carries this virus won't be that bad. In fact, it could be relatively mild, but not for pregnant women.

Their baby's life is the one who could greatly suffer from this because they could be born with microcephaly, a disease that makes the head of a child extremely small. It affects their thinking and learning ability that could result in mental retardation and some don't even live that long.

3. Men could also be affected by this virus: Women are high risk when it comes to getting sick with this virus, but it doesn't mean that men are exempted and can no longer be affected. According to CDC's website, men too could experience the discomfort brought by Zika virus like having joint pains, rashes on the skin, high fever and having red eyes.

Share these facts to your loved ones so they too are aware of what exactly this virus is. We want to know what are you doing to protect yourself from it as well, so feel free to comment below.