There's a new health threat to be aware while you're exploring the outdoors, especially for pregnant women; the Zika Virus. WHO declares global health emergency. You definitely want to minimize your exposure and risk with the usual precautions (proper clothing, mosquito repellent, etc.)

Although the mosquito-borne virus’s symptoms are relatively mild (in healthy adults), it is believed to be linked to a surge in cases of microcephaly, a condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head and brain.



The virus is prevalent in the northern half of South America, Central America, and Mexico already and is expected to expand rapidly to the US.

Seems the short run hack, is birth control. Travel restrictions for those outside of the zone. We'll see how that flies with the Catholic Church.
This is about as bad as it gets. Children doomed to a lousy life, from birth.

The terrible thing about a flavivirus is that both humans and mosquitoes can transmit it. In other words, a mosquito infects one person, then another mosquito bites that person and gets infected. Then that mosquito bites someone else and they're infected. That's how epidemics occur. It spreads exponentially.

Consider that Brazil is ground zero for the Zika Virus and the Summer Olympics are being held there this year. Imagine thousands of people getting infected through mosquito bites. Most of them will have no symptoms at all; however, they return to their home countries infected. Inevitably, some of them will be bitten again by a mosquito in their home country. Then those mosquitoes will bite other people and suddenly you've got a huge problem. Scary stuff. It's not just the Americas that need to use caution. Pregnant women everywhere need to be extra careful to avoid mosquito bites.

There are already cases of the virus being reported in the US, including my home state of Illinois and neighboring Indiana. It's not a big problem yet since it is not mosquito season, but just wait until Spring comes.