Original by Emil August Goeldi
(1859 - 1917).
- E. A. Goeldi (1905) Os Mosquitos no Pará.
Memorias do Museu
Goeldi. Pará, Brazil.
What is Zika virus disease (Zika)?
Zika is a disease caused
by Zika virus that 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 (red eyes). The illness is usually mild
with symptoms lasting for several days to a week. People usually don’t get sick
enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika.
What are the symptoms of Zika?
About 1 in 5 people
infected with Zika will get sick. For people who get sick, the illness is
usually mild. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been
infected.
The most common symptoms
of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red
eyes). Symptoms typically begin 2 to 7 days after being bitten by an infected
mosquito.
How is Zika transmitted?
Zika is primarily
transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, the same mosquitoes
that spread Chikungunya and dengue. These mosquitoes are aggressive daytime
biters and they can also bite at night. Mosquitoes become infected when they
bite a person already infected with the virus. Infected mosquitoes can then
spread the virus to other people through bites. It can also be transmitted from
a pregnant mother to her baby during pregnancy or around the time of birth. We are
studying how some mothers can pass the virus to their babies.
Who is at risk of being infected?
Anyone who lives in or
travels to an area where Zika virus is found and has not already been infected
with Zika virus can get it from mosquito bites.
Maps of occurrence of the 2 mosquitos that carry zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses:

