Zika Virus 101: Learning More From BWH’s Paul Sax
BWH Bulletin recently sat down with Paul Sax, MD, clinical director of the Division of Infectious Diseases, to learn more about the Zika virus.
Can you tell us about the Zika virus, including its symptoms and how it is spread?
Zika virus is a tropical infection spread by mosquitoes. It’s been known since the 1940s, but it only recently entered the Western Hemisphere. The largest outbreak so far has been in Brazil, but it has now been observed throughout much of South and Central America and the Caribbean. When symptomatic, the illness tends to be mild, with some people noting fever, headache, rash, joint aches and red eyes; 80 percent of people have no symptoms at all.