A disease spread through mosquito bites, it’s no wonder Zika virus is on everyone’s watch list, as they trek and travel across the globe during the summer months.
READ: 4 Reasons You Are Mosquito Bait (And What You Can Do!)
Although fewer than 1,000 cases are reported in the U.S. each year, the CDC has issued an alert for travel to areas including: Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica and Cuba among other Latin American nations, where Zika virus is spreading like wild fire. Travelers who are pregnant or considering pregnancy have even been encouraged to consult a doctor before cashing in on those frequent flier miles.
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Chrissy Rutherford, a New York woman, recently wrote an op-ed about contracting the rare illness while vacationing in Jamaica. According to the 30-year-old senior digital editor for Harper’s Bazaar, while her symptoms were very reminiscent of the sickness, Zika “had not even crossed my mind,” she told People at the time.
That is… until Rutherford developed a rash on her face and forearms. “I started breaking out in a rash, that’s when I was like ‘OK, there’s definitely something wrong with me,” she said. Only, even then, Rutherford was still in disbelief. Even her friends laughed off the chances of her self-diagnosis – after all, per recent news reports the disease hasn’t hit the U.S. quite like its surrounding nations.
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“When I was [in Jamaica], I was like, ‘What are the chances I would actually get [Zika],’” Rutherford said. “I had put bug spray on once or twice, but I wasn’t super vigilant about it, and I didn’t put any on during the daytime.”But after a little pushing and prodding by a nurse, Rutherford took the plunge and got tested. “They took a urine sample and two vials of blood to be tested,” she explained.
“I spent a lot of that time reading information on the internet. I was home and in bed for days. I was pretty certain that [Zika] was what I had. I looked up the symptoms for other mosquito viruses that I could have. I knew that none of them were fatal and that there wasn’t even anything that I could take, so I just gave into the fact that I was going to be sick for a while.”
Lesson? While you may be thinking “it’ll never happen to me,” in order to better protect yourself against catching the Zika virus, you must educate yourself on the signs, symptoms, and when/if traveling, where the disease is flourishing.
So what are the signs? In addition to the rash Rutherfood experienced, the below symptoms have also been linked to Zika:
- Joint pain
- Fever
- Red eyes
- Paralysis
- Birth defects in pregnant women
Meanwhile, the CDC reports there is no vaccine to prevent the ailment. However, you can treat symptoms by getting plenty of rest, drinking fluids, taking acetaminophen (Tylenol®) to reduce fever and pain, shy away from medicines like aspirin and anti-inflammatory drugs “until dengue can be ruled out to reduce the risk of bleeding.”
For more information on Zika, click here.
