Zika Facts

What is Zika?

Zika (pronounced Zee-kah) is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause mild symptoms. These include: fever, rash, pink eye, and joint pain. Symptoms, if they appear at all, usually clear within a week.

So why all the fuss? Last April, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed the link between the Zika virus and birth defects – most notably babies born with brain damage and a small head (microcephaly).

A woman who gets Zika during pregnancy has an increased risk of having a baby with birth defects. However, many infected women deliver babies that appear to be healthy.

How does Zika spread?

Mosquito bites are a primary culprit. If a pregnant woman is infected, she can pass it to her baby while she’s pregnant. It can also spread through sex or a blood transfusion.

What’s the threat level in Pennsylvania?

Currently, low. The mosquito that carries the disease is rarely found here. A related type of mosquito that may be able to carry the virus has been found in southern Pennsylvania. It doesn’t appear to be as effective at spreading Zika. As temperatures rise in the summer months, though, so does the risk of transmission by local mosquitoes.

Protecting your kids – and yourself

There are no vaccines or treatment available to prevent or treat Zika. That’s why prevention is so important. When in Zika-affected areas:

• Use insect repellent containing DEET
• Wear light-colored clothes that cover as much of the body as possible
• Use physical barriers, such as screens, closed doors, and windows
• Sleep under mosquito nets

Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant are advised to consider not traveling to Zika-affected areas. The CDC advises that men who have traveled to Zika-affected areas wear condoms to avoid spreading the virus to their partners. Visit the CDC’s website (www.CDC.gov) for further recommendations for both men and women.

What the Commonwealth’s Doing to Fight Zika

• Increase efforts to watch and control Zika-carrying mosquito populations
• Track the number of cases
• Keep the public informed and up to date

For more information, visit www.zika.pa.gov

To Contact Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP):

CHIP is available 24/7 at CHIPcoversPAkids.com even during the summer months. Whether it is to ask for help in applying, renewing or addressing frequently asked questions. You can also download education materials from the resources tab.

CHIP covers all uninsured kids up to the age of 19.

Call our CHIP hotline, if you have any questions, at 855-900-CHIP (2447).