Zika Comes to South Florida

Zika, a disease spread by infected mosquitoes, has gone from a virus that causes flu-like symptoms into a world epidemic.

Since May of 2015, 1.5 million cases of Zika have occurred in Brazil alone. The outbreak has spread to numerous countries around the world, including the U.S.

“The vector of the Zika virus is a mosquito that cannot be easily identified. It’s summer in Brazil and all of the people have been really concerned about getting bitten by a mosquito that brings the dengue, chicunguña or Zika virus,” former Brazilian resident Marina Cavallo said. “All of my family members have been trying to protect themselves using repellent. All of the women in my family were advised not to get pregnant during this epidemic.”

Florida has seen nine travel-related cases of Zika, four of which are in Miami-Dade.

Many women who became infected with the Zika virus while pregnant gave birth to babies who had birth defects. In multiple cases, babies are born with heads that are too small to allow their brains to develop.

“It causes microcephaly on babies when their mother are contaminated while pregnant. It’s also a door for several other dangerous diseases.” Cavallo said.

Unlike pregnant women, an ordinary person infected with Zika may not experience any problems. Only 20% of infected people show symptoms, which range from slight fevers to a rash or headache.

As of now, there is no cure for Zika, but there are preventions.

In areas where Zika is found, people have been advised to wear long shirts and pants, use insect repellent, sleep under mosquito nets and stay indoors when they can.

According to whitehouse.gov, the government has been working on developing vaccines in the U.S.

However, less developed countries are struggling in the fight against Zika.

“There are lots of campaigns on the media, but not enough education, especially in the poor areas of the country,” Cavallo said. “The other day, I saw on the news that one of the lakes inside the government building complex in Brasilia had mosquito eggs in the development.”

Although there is no specific treatment, patients who have the virus are advised to rest, hydrate and take fever reducers.