Zika Virus - The Basics

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Zika is a recent infectious travel-related disease that has caused substantial concern in Canada, the United States, and around the world. To learn more about this disease and how to recognize it, read the Q&A below.

Question: What is Zika?
Answer: Zika is a virus. It is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites but has also been shown to spread through sex and by transmission from pregnant women to fetuses.

Question: What do Zika symptoms look like?
Answer: For most people, Zika presents as a rash accompanied by fever, joint pain, and reddened eyes. Some people also experience muscle pain and headaches.

Question: Why are people so concerned about Zika?
Answer: When pregnant women contract the virus, it can lead to birth defects such as microcephaly. Most people do not become very sick from contracting Zika, but it can be lethal in fetuses and infants.

Question: Where is Zika most prevalent?
Answer: Zika infections are most common in South American, Central American, and Caribbean regions. In the United States, all six locally-acquired cases have come from southern Florida. None of Canada's 209 cases were acquired locally.