What You Should Know About The Zika Virus and Getting Pregnant #GoHealthUC #ad

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post created in collaboration with Stiletto Media  and Northwell Health-Go Health Urgent Care to provide awareness and information on the Zika virus.  All opinions are my own.

The plan was: we’d pack our bags for a week long vacation with the kids - sometime in June or August and we’d enjoy a little peaceful quiet time and maybe even try to conceive a baby. Yeah, baby fever is pretty rampant in our house, it’s all anyone can talk about these days. And so the hubby and I figured in celebration of our 8th wedding anniversary we’d try to work on baby #3 in Mexico where we went on our honeymoon. We were all excited for what we thought was a romantic gesture to celebrate our family…...That was until, the Zika Virus ended up on the cover of our newspapers and all over our social media channels and we realized we’d have to keep our baby making party here in the states.

Recently I signed up to attend an informative session at Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care in Gramercy to learn all about the Zika Virus and how you can be treated for it at Urgent Care facilities. My husband and I are big fans of going to urgent care centers over the emergency room because of their quality of care, efficiency and typically we’ve never had a long wait. We love this as an alternative option to being medically treated and can see them popping up all over the 5 boroughs as they’ve gained more popularity. You can go to urgent care facilities for cold and flu related symptoms, stomach pain, injuries, x-rays, lab work and now Zika testing.

So what exactly is the Zika Virus? The Zika virus disease is caused by the Zika virus, which is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito. Resembling a common cold, the illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting up to a week, and many people do not have symptoms or will have only mild symptoms. However, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly and other severe brain defects.

Even though Mexico was top on our travel list and had us concerned about travel that night I learned that Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Guyana are the top 3 areas with Zika infections. As of June 24, 2016, 233 Zika virus infections have been diagnosed among NYC residents. None were locally acquired.

Key things to know:

• Zika is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. A pregnant woman can pass Zika to her fetus during pregnancy or around the time of birth. Also, a man with Zika can pass it to sex partners
• Once someone has been infected with Zika, it’s very likely they’ll be protected from future infections. There is no evidence that past Zika infection poses an increased risk of birth defects in future pregnancies.
• Pregnant women should not travel to any area with Zika. If you are pregnant take these steps to protect yourself:

1. Avoid Travel to an area with Zika
2. Take steps to prevent mosquito bites such as wearing long sleeves, Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents. When used as directed, these insect repellents are proven safe and effective even for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
3. Until more is known, pregnant women with male sex partners who have lived in or traveled to an area with Zika virus should either use a condom every time they have sex or not have sex during the pregnancy.
4. See a doctor or healthcare provider:
5. Pregnant women who have recently traveled to an area with Zika should talk to a doctor or other healthcare provider about their travel even if they don’t feel sick. It is especially important that pregnant women see a doctor or other healthcare provider if they develop a fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes during their trip or within 2 weeks after traveling to an area where Zika has been reported.

Have you had the chance to try out an urgent care facility? How was your experience?