Zika is a virus transmitted through mosquito bites. The Zika virus was first detected in Brazil in May 2015, the virus has traveled to Africa and parts of Asia. Zika is new to the Western Hemisphere and is spreading throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Since then, 1.5 million people have been reported infected in Brazil. In the United States, there have been many 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayZika not only has effects now but also has long-term health effects. The virus causes a disease in newborns and newborns called microcephaly. The disease causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads and often deformed brains. The United States advises pregnant women not to travel to places where the virus is prevalent. In El Salvador, women were 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 has occurred from a man to a woman or to another man, not from a woman to someone else. In at least one case, a man who had never had Zika symptoms transmitted it sexually. Health authorities recommend that men who have had no symptoms wait eight weeks. Zika is almost never deadly, but it has been known to kill people. The virus killed a man in Puerto Rico. The man, in his 70s, is the first reported death in the United States from the virus, which is spreading more rapidly 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. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay There is no vaccine for the Zika virus. Efforts to make one have only just begun, and creating and testing a vaccine typically takes years and costs hundreds of millions of dollars. The CDC does not recommend a particular antiviral drug for people infected with the Zika virus. Symptoms are mild – when they appear – and usually require only rest, nutrition 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; always wear insect repellent; and wear long pants, long sleeves, shoes and hats.