With tropical weather as a popular choice for spring breakers, students should be made aware of the risk of the Zika virus.

The Zika virus is spread through the mosquito bite of the yellow fever mosquito. While it is not treatable, it is preventable. Though it is extremely rare and hard to contract, Becton students traveling to Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America and even Florida should be aware of the risks of the virus.

The yellow fever mosquito is the carrier of not only the Zika virus, but also chikungunya and dengue, two other viruses that caused a scare in recent years. The virus causes flu-like symptoms that will go away after some rest. Cases of this emerging infectious disease are soaring in the Americas and “spreading explosively”, according to the World Health Organization.

Although usually spread by mosquitoes, Zika can also be transmitted sexually. For most people, the Zika virus causes only a brief, mild flu-like illness. But in pregnant women it has been linked to an alarming increase in the rate of the birth defect known as microcephaly, which results in a debilitating small head and brain size.

School Nurse Ms. Dumansky advises that if there is a chance that you are pregnant or may become pregnant, you should check with your doctor before vacationing. Symptoms of Zika virus infection are usually mild. In fact, eighty percent of people who become infected never have symptoms. And in those who do, the most common symptoms are fever and rash.

Sophomore Ashley Konopka is traveling to Punta Cana this spring break, and when asked, she and many students were not really sure what Zika virus was and were not scared because they were planning to protect themselves while outside. Ms. Dumansky reminds students to carry insect repellent to protect from the mosquito bites.

Students are advised to protect with insect repellent containing DEET, like Off Deep Woods.

Zika began in Africa and spread rapidly. The virus, originally named ZIKV, was first discovered in 1947 in a rhesus macaque in the Zika forest in Uganda.

U.S. travelers are bringing the viral disease back with them, which is why students should be cautious of their bug bites this spring break. These imported cases happen when a person is infected elsewhere and then visits or returns to the United States. “The first travel-associated Zika virus disease case among U.S. travelers was reported in 2007. From 2007 to 2014, a total of 14 returning U.S. travelers had positive Zika virus testing performed at the CDC,” said WHO director. In all of 2015 and in 2016 so far, more U.S. travelers have tested positive for the Zika virus. “The CDC is still receiving specimens for Zika virus testing from returning U.S. travelers who became ill in 2015 or 2016,” which means the counts are getting higher.

To date, the CDC has reported 107 travel-linked cases of Zika in U.S. states and 39 cases of local infections in U.S. territories.