The Aedes mosquito is present throughout North America. More and more in the news, we are hearing about the dreaded Zika virus which unfortunately has been associated with Epstein-Barr syndrome as well as birth defects (Microcephaly) in the infants of those mothers bitten during their pregnancy. More can be found here at the CDC website. There is good info for those that are pregnant. Again from the Centers for Disease Control

It is important to note that you live in an area that is infected with the Aedes Mosquito carrying the Zika virus mosquito control is very important. Realize that if you develop symptoms such as a fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis that you get checked by a doctor. About one in five people actually infected with the Zika virus will show the symptoms and for most, they will not show any symptoms at all. Usually, you’re going to see the symptoms anywhere from 2 to 7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Now the problem is that if you are carrying that virus and you’re sleeping next to someone and a mosquito bites you and then bites them the virus can be transferred from you to them so this is direct blood to blood transmissible virus. This is why we’re seeing the explosion across the Americas right now. 

Unfortunately, if you look at this map you’ll see all the areas in the US that currently contain the Aedes mosquito which means all these areas become possible transmission points. Now in most cases, the Aedes mosquito carries things like dengue fever and chikungunya virus. And it is important to note that mortality is very rare. There is still not a lot known about the Zika virus so as it is studied we will learn more and more. One thing for sure is that mosquito control is paramount and that is really really paramount if you are pregnant or considering becoming pregnant. This is because the Zika virus has been showing up in the babies born of women that were infected with this virus. They develop a disorder called microcephaly which results in a deformed head, brain damage and other neurological disorders including fetal death syndrome. This is extremely scary and steps should be taken so that no exposure to mosquitoes occurs. This is not as easy as it seems as mosquitoes are endemic to our area. The CDC does state that mosquito repellents are safe to use even if you are pregnant as long as they are applied as per the label. This is, of course, a personal decision but I would let my wife use it if she was pregnant as I think the overall benefits outweigh the risk in a situation such as this. One area that is bright is the fact that it is been shown that once the virus is out of the system there are no future risks to pregnancies or the fetus. So that is one aspect of this virus that a bright spot.

Now for certain people that are infected with this virus that have immune disorders they currently don’t know what the long-term effects may be. We do know that Epstein-Barr is actually the immune system attacking itself. This is the virus that causes mononucleosis. Some of the symptoms include fever, fatigue, sore throat and it mimics many other illnesses like the flu or a cold. One of the signs that the doctor will look for will be an enlarged spleen and also see if you have a swollen liver and white patches on your tonsils. There is also a blood test that can be done that would look for elevated white blood cell counts. If you are bitten by a mosquito and you become ill afterward it is best to be checked by a physician.