Attention Pregnant Women - ZIKA Update

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals in the world because of the diseases they spread. Zika virus disease (Zika) spreads to people mainly through the bite of two types of mosquitoes. The newest edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vital Signs focuses on the threat of Zika to pregnant women and their fetuses and the steps that can be taken by them, their partners and communities to thwart this public health risk. In past outbreaks, most people with Zika have not gotten sick, so people may not even know they've been infected.

Based on current knowledge, the greatest risk for complications from Zika is to a pregnant woman's fetus. According to the Vital Signs report, pregnant women can take the following actions: 

• Avoid travel to any area with Zika. 

• Take preventive steps such as wearing insect repellent.

• Talk to her doctor first if she must travel to an area with Zika, and get tested for Zika between 2 and 12 weeks after returning. 

• Use latex condoms, the right way, every time or choose not to have any type of sex with a partner who has been in an area with Zika.

For more information on Zika and pregnancy, visit the CDC website.

For more information on animal-borne diseases, please contact our Zoonosis Program at
303-232-6301 or dvolkel@jeffco.us.