The Effects of Zika on Women in the United States and Brazil

Abstract

Zika is a disease common in tropical areas that is transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitos. However, Zika can also be transmitted through sexual intercourse. In 2016, the World Health Organization declared the spread of Zika to be a public health emergency. The year before, the Brazilian Ministry of Health reported an unusual increase in cases of microcephaly in the state of Pernambuco, located in the northeast of Brazil, and in 2016 the first outbreak of Zika in the continental United States occurred in Florida. Additionally, there is a causal relationship between prenatal Zika virus infection and microcephaly and other serious brain abnormalities. This research project discusses the consequences of the Zika virus and investigates the reasons why women in the United States and Brazil experienced variable treatment and access to knowledge regarding the spread and consequences of the Zika virus.