Virus Zika: How is Zika treated?




There’s no treatment, but Adalja says most people with symptoms do well with over-the-counter medications for aches and pains. The disease usually runs its course within a week or so.
No vaccine is available, but the National Institutes of Health announced on Aug. 3 that it had begun testing a Zika vaccine in humans. At least 80 people are expected to participate.

What is the connection between Zika, microcephaly, and pregnancy?


Zika causes microcephaly in babies born to infected pregnant women, the CDC confirmed earlier this year. Microcephaly stunts a baby’s head growth, causing devastating, sometimes fatal brain damage, and it can result in miscarriage or stillbirth.

What is the connection between Zika, microcephaly, and pregnancy? continued...

As of Aug. 25, the CDC had confirmed Zika infections in more than 620 pregnant women in the U.S. and more than 970 women in U.S. territories. Sixteen U.S. babies have been born with Zika-linked birth defects, and five pregnancy losses have been linked to the virus. In May, the agency set up registries in the U.S. and Puerto Rico to track pregnant women infected with Zika.
On Aug. 19, after announcing two areas of local Zika transmission in Florida’s Miami-Dade County -- Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood and a portion of Miami Beach -- the CDC and state health officials advised pregnant women to stay away from those areas. Pregnant women who have visited the areas recently should see their doctor about being tested for Zika, officials said.
The agency advises that women and men who have lived or traveled in areas with Zika infections -- including the areas in Miami-Dade County -- and have a pregnant sex partner either use condoms or abstain from sex during the pregnancy. Women who live in the Miami areas or must travel there should protect themselves from mosquito bites.

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