For those who don’t know, there has been an outbreak of a new virus known as Zika throughout many parts of the world. The Zika virus is spread via infected mosquitoes belonging to the Aedes species. While being infected with the Zika virus is rarely deadly—in fact, symptoms can be relatively mild—it has been discovered that pregnant women who are infected give birth to babies with serious neurological birth defects. Although the Zika outbreak has occurred mostly in Brazil, a recent Zika case was confirmed in Yolo County.

Yolo County Zika Case

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that an individual recently tested positive for the Zika virus after returning to Yolo County from another country. Many health professionals have recommended that pregnant women avoid traveling to areas where the Zika virus has been found; however, people are now beginning to worry about the virus spreading from Latin America into parts of California.

Adding to that particular worry is the fact that the Los Angeles Daily News recently reported that the Southern California mosquitoes, which are small black and white striped mosquitoes, can carry the Zika virus as well. Even though these mosquitoes are found across the state and despite the fact that a Zika virus case was recently reported, health officials still believe that an outbreak of the Zika virus throughout the state of California is highly unlikely.

Safety Precautions

Even though a Zika virus outbreak is reported to be highly unlikely, it is still a good idea to take precautions. Women who are pregnant should reconsider traveling to areas where Zika outbreaks have been reported. Zika outbreaks have occurred throughout South America as well as Mexico. Anyone that has traveled to these locations and has shown symptoms of the Zika virus, which include mild fever, joint pain, rash, headaches and conjunctivitis, should be tested as the Zika virus can be sexually transmitted as well.

Here at the Benefits Store, we aim to provide California residents with up-to-date information about important health news in addition to providing health insurance advice.