A teenager in Washington state has gotten the shocking news that she has Zika virus after a trip to Haiti.
A teenager in Washington state was shocked to discover that she has tested positive for the Zika virus.
Olivia Evans, 17, said she was “speechless” after getting a call from her doctor’s office and the county health department indicating she had tested positive for the disease that has spread from South America, according to a KOMO News report.
She was told she would have to wait four weeks for the results. Evans had visited Haiti, and it is believed that is where she contracted the virus.
Evans said she had lots of mosquito bits that “itched really bad” when she got back from Haiti, according to the report. Mosquitoes are what transmit the virus to humans, although they can also be spread through sexual contact with someone who already has the virus.
Evans said the bumps got worse and turned into hives, and spread all over her body. Her hands also swelled up tot he point she couldn’t close them entirely, and it hurt for her to walk. She also got a fever and reported bad headaches.
As a result of the symptoms and the fact she visited Haiti recently, the doctor immediately suspected Zika and got her tested.
It’s unclear what the long-lasting effects of Zika are, and whether it will permanently affect her ability to have kids.
“Zika virus disease (Zika) is a disease caused by the Zika virus, which is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito,” a CDC statement reads. “The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. People usually don’t get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected. However, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly, as well as other severe fetal brain defects. Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections.”
Leave a Reply