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The Zika Virus Essay

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Whenever the news is on television, the public is always warned about a new virus or disease that is troubling society. The Zika virus has been around for quite some time and did not make waves when it was first introduced. However, that is something of the past. It is now making headlines because of the possible effects that it has on pregnant women and their babies. The Zika virus has become a public health crisis in a short amount of time. What was once just a minor illness has now transformed into something that has future parents afraid. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), or the CDC as it is commonly called), the most common symptoms of the Zika virus are fever, rash and joint pain with about one in five people becoming ill once infected. It is primarily transferred through a mosquito bite. This appears to be a common virus that many have probably had unknowingly at some point in their life (Musso & Cao-Lormeau, 2014). However, what is now concerning pregnant …show more content…

If a woman is currently pregnant, she has to be concerned with the ongoing development of her child and adding one more thing to the list is not as bad. However, when it comes to a developmental concern in reference to the brain not growing as it should, there is an increasing cause for concern. There may be more research that needs to be done, but this leaves many wondering what are they to do next. Since there is no vaccination for the Zika virus, or any other mosquito related virus, there are a number of precautions that a pregnant woman can take to prevent getting bit. However, this is not to say that she will not get bitten at all. Once a bit has occurred, it can take some time before a person is aware that they have been bitten. They may not even get sick; which can be a great thing for some. The question that is left is what is one to do if they are infected with the

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