The infamous Zika virus is closer to home than some may think.
Public Library of Science: Outbreaks, a peer-reviewed journal, recently published a list of 50 cities that could experience Zika transmission this summer.
Among them are Florida cities Tampa, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Miami and Orlando.
All current U.S. cases are travel-related, meaning the affected person contracted the virus abroad and returned to the states.
Alachua County currently has four Zika cases, according to the Florida Department of Health’s daily Zika update.
According to the study, infected mosquitos in the U.S. may begin to affect U.S. residents.
Paula Pulido, a 20-year-old UF biology junior, said she contracted the virus during Winter Break in Villeta, Colombia.
“I got a rash all over my body and every single joint was swollen,” Pulido said. “I had to pretty much stay in bed all day because I couldn’t move.”
Though she suffered for a week, Pulido said the virus is not always disastrous.
“My grandma and my brother had gotten it and had been fine,” Pulido said.
Of the 258 travel-related infections reported as of press time, 18 were contracted by pregnant women and six were sexually transmitted, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Zika is transmitted via the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, according to the CDC. Symptoms — which include fevers, rashes, red eyes and joint pain — usually only last a week.
The virus can also cause pregnant women to birth children with microcephaly, which stunts the development of babies’ brains and causes children to have abnormally small heads, according to the study.
Residents can protect themselves in several ways, said Mara Gambineri, the FDOH’s communications director.
“There are basic steps you can take,” she said, “such as draining standing water, covering skin with EPA-approved repellents and clothing and covering doors and windows with well-fitting screens to ensure mosquitos aren’t coming indoors.”
