The Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne single-stranded RNA virus. It is in the family of Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus. This virus causes a mild illness similar to dengue. The first case of ZIKV was identified in Uganda in 1947. Cases of this virus were rare until 2007 when a major epidemic happened in Yap Island, Micronesia. Now, epidemics have happened in Polynesia, Easter Island, the Cook Islands, Brazil, and New Caledonia (Ioos et al., 2014).
During the first week of infection, the virus is in the blood and can be passed from an infected person to a mosquito. An infected mosquito can then spread the virus to other people. The most common symptoms of ZIKV are fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes. Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. The time from exposure to symptoms is not yet known. The symptoms usually last for a few days to a week. Deaths are rare from this virus. There are no vaccines yet to treat or prevent this virus. A person can only treat the symptoms, which can be done by sleeping, drinking lots of water, and taking acetaminophen if needed (CDC, 2016). In order to prevent getting the Zika virus, a person should wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, stay in places with air conditioning, and use window screens. A person should also sleep under a mosquito bed net and use insect repellents (CDC, 2016). There have not been any ZIKV cases in the United States yet, but people who are returning from traveling have had the virus. There are currently 28 countries that actively have the virus. Some of those countries include: Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Virgin Islands, Samoa, and Cape Verde (CDC, 2016). Although the Zika virus minimally affects adults, pregnant women or women who plan to have children are at high risk. The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a public health emergency of international concern on February 1, 2016. WHO said the emergency is because of how fast the virus is spreading and its suspected link to babies born with abnormally small heads. This condition is called microcephaly and it has been seen in babies in Brazil and French Polynesia. Women who get bit by a mosquito that has ZIKV may have a baby that has microcephaly. Babies who have microcephaly may have small heads, developmental delays, difficulties with coordination, dwarfism, facial distortions, or seizures. There have already been over 10,000 babies born with microcephaly, and this number is rising. Brazil officials are asking women not to have any babies for two years (CNN, 2016). One of the biggest concerns the world has is the 2016 Summer Olympics hosted by Brazil. Officials are saying that there should be no concerns for people unless they are pregnant. Considering that Brazil has already spent millions of dollars preparing for the Olympics, they do not want the venue to be changed. This has been a very controversial talk in the media. The Zika virus in the world today is linked to The Ten Essential Public Health Services 1, 2, 3, and 10. These include: 1) Monitor health status to identify community health problems, 2) Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community, 3) Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues, and 10) Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.
We need to raise awareness about ZIKV. We do not know a lot about this virus and what long term affects it will have. ZIKV has the potential to spread to new areas like Southern Europe and the United States. We need to have strategies for the prevention and control of ZIKV disease before all pregnant or women who want to become pregnant get the virus.

References
CDC. (2016). Zika Virus. Retrieved February 01, 2016, from http://www.cdc.gov/zika/
CNN. (2016). Zika virus a 'public health emergency,' WHO says - CNN.com. Retrieved February 01, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/01/health/zika-virus-public- health-emergency/
Ioos, S., Mallet, H., Leparc Goffart, I., Gauthier, V., Cardoso, T., & Herida, M. (2014). Current zika virus epidemiology and recent epidemics. Médecine Et Maladies Infectieuses, 44(7), 302. doi:10.1016/j.medmal.2014.04.008