How Does Zika Affect You?

Zika infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects and is associated with other pregnancy problems. Rarely, Zika may cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, an uncommon sickness of the nervous system in which a person's own immune system damages the nerve cells, causing muscle weakness, and sometimes, paralysis.

How does Zika virus affect humans?

The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, headache, joint pain, red eyes, and muscle pain. Zika is spread mostly by the bite of an infected mosquito. Prevent Zika by avoiding mosquito bites. Zika can cause birth defects and is linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome.

What does the Zika virus affect?

The virus causes birth defects in babies born to some infected pregnant women, including microcephaly, where babies are born with underdeveloped heads and brain damage. Zika has also been linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves.