Public Health Office answers Zika questions Published Feb. 25, 2016 By 72nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron Public Health Office TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a new health threat identified nearly every year. One threat that has been in the news lately is the Zika virus disease. While not a new virus (first identified in 1949), Zika has been spreading through parts of South and Central America and the Caribbean. Zika basics The CDC describes Zika as a usually mild illness that lasts several days to a week. Symptoms are typically minor (fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes) and only 1 in 5 people who are infected will actually get sick. The virus is primarily spread by mosquitos. Person to person transmission can only occur from mother to baby, through sexual intercourse or from a blood transfusion. There is concern that Zika virus may cause birth defects, however this has not been confirmed. Who is at risk? Most people in the United States will never come into contact with the Zika virus. If you are traveling to Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Caribbean/Pacific territories, or Central/South America, you could contact the virus and should take standard precautions to avoid diseases spread by mosquitos (use DEET repellant, wear permethrin treated clothing, and stay inside when possible). The CDC is advising pregnant women to postpone travel to these areas where Zika is spreading. However, for the rest of the population, Zika does not pose a particular risk because it causes no or very mild illness. Will Zika come to the U.S.? Zika has been observed in travelers returning from places where Zika is spreading. The virus is not currently circulating in the U.S. mosquito population and the CDC states that transmission in the U.S. would be unlikely. What is Public Health doing? The 72nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron Public Health Office vigilantly monitors health threats and communicates with the CDC and various other national and local health departments to protect the local community. Public Health at Tinker will continue to provide mosquito surveillance and test mosquitos for various diseases during mosquito season, which typically runs from April through October. The information gathered is used to control and manage mosquito populations as well as to inform medical personnel, local health departments and local community of any potential threats. Public Health also provides educational material to base personnel and residents on how to avoid any possible mosquito breeding grounds around their homes and property. For more information, visit the CDC website at: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html or call Tinker Public Health at 582-6542.