Photo via Wikimedia Commons
The 2016 Summer Olympics are quickly approaching, andbrwith people's excitement comes fear for athletes' and attendees' health as thebrnumber of reported Zika cases increases. The mosquito-borne disease has impactedbrCentral America, South America and Africa for months, and just because thebrillness is prominent overseas, it doesn't mean Americans have nothing to worrybrabout.
Brazil in particular has been a popular spot for the infectedbrmosquitos, which began their blood-sucking rampage in May 2015 according to thebrU.S. Centers for Disease Control. Legacy ER & Urgent Care, a NorthbrTexas-based hybrid model facility, wants Texans to be informed of the diseasebrso that no matter what, they are prepared when encountering possiblybrdisease-carrying mosquitos.
You can contract the Zika virus from a mosquito bite,brthrough sexual intercourse, a blood transfusion and in rare instances,brlaboratory exposure. Those infected with the Zika virus may show no outwardbrsymptoms or will experience relatively mild side effects such as a rash, redbreyes or a slight fever.
Pregnant women who contract Zika can pass it along tobrtheir unborn fetus, as Zika is a known cause of microcephaly in babies. Thisbrcondition can result in delayed brain development, intellectual disabilitiesbrand problems with speech, hearing and vision. In extreme cases, microcephalybrcan even be fatal.
Several Olympic athletes have pulled out of thebrcompetition for fear of contracting Zika, the most prominent example being U.S.brgolfer Jordan Spieth. Citing the overall health concern, Spieth stated that thebrdecision "…was probably the hardest decision I've had to make in mybrlife."
Those visiting Brazil for the Olympics can take thebrfollowing preventative measures:
- Wear longbrsleeves and pants
- Avoidbrbeing outdoors near mosquito-infested areas such as bodies of water
- Sleep inbrcovered or protected areas where mosquitoes cannot enter
- Usebrinsect repellant spray on exposed skin to ward off mosquitoes
- Use insectbrrepellent that contains DEET