Recently, a new viral infection known as Zika has been throwing the world into a state of panic. Though the Zika disease presents as mild symptoms such as rash, red eyes, fever, and joint pain, it is especially feared because it causes microcephaly and other developmental defects in infants. The Zika virus spreads through contact with the Aedes aegypti mosquito, and pregnant women are considered vulnerable because of the risk to their unborn children. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has put out an advisory against travel to the areas where the virus is currently spreading, including large parts of South America, Africa, and Asia, and, in the United States, Texas and Florida (Gallagher, 2016).
There are no pregnant women living in my household currently, so we are not too worried about being exposed to the Zika virus. Nevertheless, we will be safeguarding our health by abstaining from travel to Zika-prone areas in the United States or elsewhere in the world. I believe that this is an adequate measure of protection for me and my family. I will not be taking additional measures to limit my chances of infection, such as wearing mosquito repellant.
Since the actual infection rate of the Zika virus is much less extreme than the infection rate of the virus in the 2011 movie Contagion, there has been far less panic due to Zika, and my local government has responded with much less urgency by comparison. However, as spring wears on, my community will begin to be swarmed with mosquitos. My local government may choose to help prevent infection to the members of my community by spraying insecticides. This would constitute a reasonable and foresighted risk prevention measure.
References
Gallagher, J. (2016, April 20). Zika virus: 2.2 billion people in ‘at risk’ areas. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36090650
