With the temperature decreasing, mosquitos, the main transmitter of Zika, have died off, at least in North Carolina. However, more southern states, some popular vacation destinations, have not been able to curb Zika that easily. “I haven’t heard about the Zika virus since late last year,” says sophomore Joshua McLeod, “the news just stopped reporting on it.” However, with springtime, when the mosquitos make their annual return, experts are unsure if the virus will resurface.  

 The main reason Zika spread in the first place is mostly seasonal. The most famous transmitter of the Zika virus, is, of course, mosquitos. Mosquitos, like most other insects, die out during the winter, thus reducing the number of Zika cases in recent weeks. Scientists are unsure if another Zika outbreak will occur come summer, but the US will likely not be hit as hard as Brazil was. Nations, like Brazil, who are impoverished, have less ways to prevent mosquitoes. In areas like slums, insect populations have the potential to skyrocket. To prevent exposure to mosquitoes, the major ways involve using plenty of bug spray along with long sleeved shirts and pants, anything to minimize skin exposure to mosquitos.

 Zika symptoms are varied based on gender. For males, the virus is relatively harmless, as far as we know. In both males and females, Zika symptoms include mild fever, chills, and other mild symptoms. However, the Zika virus is known to cause disabilities for children of pregnant women. If a pregnant woman is infected with Zika, the baby is likely to have severe mental disabilities.

 Luckily, the mosquitos that have been associated with the Zika virus have not been sighted in North Carolina. Though there have been no locally transmitted cases of Zika, there have been several cases in North Carolina. People travelling to areas where Zika is more common is the main cause of the virus in North Carolina.

The Zika virus has been largely off the radar, proving how climates have affected the mosquito population, but experts are not sure how the virus will be effected when the temperatures become warmer.