Zika is a virus transmitted by mosquito bites. The Zika virus was first detected in Brazil in May 2015 and has spread to Africa and parts of Asia. Zika is new to the Western Hemisphere and is spreading across Latin America and the Caribbean. Since then, 1.5 million people have been infected in Brazil. In the United States, there have been numerous travel-related cases: 625 cases in New York, 510 in Florida, and 152 cases in California. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Zika not only has immediate effects, but it also has long-term health effects. The virus causes a condition in unborn and unborn infants called microcephaly. The disease causes children to be born with abnormally small heads and often distorted brains. The United States advises pregnant women not to travel to places where the virus is widespread. In El Salvador, women have been asked to wait until 2018 to get pregnant. Sexual transmission has also been reported in 10 countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Italy and New Zealand. In all known cases, transmission was from a man to a woman or another man, not from a woman to anyone else. In at least one case, a man who had never had symptoms of Zika transmitted it sexually. Health authorities recommend that men who have not shown any symptoms wait eight weeks. Zika is almost never fatal, but it has been known to kill people. The virus killed a man in Puerto Rico. The man, aged around 70, is the first reported death in the United States from the virus, which is spreading more quickly across America. The patient who died in Puerto Rico had a very rare complication called immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Another patient, who died in Utah, had a Zika virus infection that contributed to her death. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Personalized Trial There is no vaccine for the Zika virus. Efforts to create one have only just begun, and creating and testing a vaccine normally takes years and costs hundreds of millions of dollars. The CDC does not recommend any specific antiviral medication for people infected with the Zika virus. Symptoms are mild – when they appear – and usually require only rest, food, and other supportive care. Travelers to these countries are advised to avoid or minimize mosquito bites by staying in screened or air-conditioned rooms or sleeping under mosquito nets; wear insect repellent at all times; and wear long pants, long sleeves, shoes and hats.