5 things about Zika virus

The World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting of independent experts Monday to decide if the Zika virus outbreak should be declared an international health emergency. Here are five things you should know about the virus:

WHAT IT IS: The Zika virus, named after a forest in Uganda where it was first identified in rhesus monkeys in 1947, is transmitted by two types of the day-biting Aedes mosquito, A. aegypti and A. albopictus.

WHERE IT’S FOUND: Cases of Zika have been reported in more than 20 countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean, as well as parts of Mexico, following its spread from Africa to Asia and the Pacific Islands. Brazil has been particularly hard hit. As many as 1.5 million Brazilians may have been infected with the Zika virus since its arrival in the country last spring.

WHO’S AT RISK: Most people infected by Zika virus do not get sick. Those who develop symptoms, including fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, recover within about a week. However, Zika virus has been linked to microcephaly in infants born to women infected while pregnant. Newborns with the birth defect have small heads and underdeveloped brains.

HOW IT’S TREATED: There is no effective antiviral drug to treat Zika infection and a vaccine to prevent the disease is estimated to take years to develop.

HOW TO AVOID IT: The Public Health Agency of Canada is advising pregnant women and those who plan to get pregnant to consider postponing travel to Zika-affected countries or regions unless absolutely necessary. If travel cannot be postponed, then strict mosquito-bite prevention measures should be followed, including wearing clothes that fully cover exposed skin and applying a mosquito repellent like DEET.