In today’s world, humankind has come to expect that modern science and technology can conquer all infectious viruses and microbes with discoveries of vaccines and antibiotics. But nature is a menacing adversary. A new threat has been flooding the science realm: the Zika virus. Zika is named for the Zika forest in Uganda, where it was detected in 1947, but it has since traveled, causing outbreaks in African countries, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and South America.

Zika is a disease induced by Zika virus that is transmitted to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. People living in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Caribbean or Pacific territories, and Central and South America are inclined to see an increasing spread of Zika. In these areas, pregnant women are at higher risk and need to protect themselves from mosquito bites. About 1 in 5 people infected with Zika will get sick. For individuals who get sick, the illness is usually mild. For this reason, countless people might be unaware that they have been infected. The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Symptoms typically begin 2 to 7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.

Health authorities suspect a correlation between Zika and neurological ailments, especially in fetuses and newborns. There have been reports of a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly (a condition in which a baby’s head is smaller than normal) and other poor pregnancy outcomes in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant. This is usually a rare condition and is linked with incomplete brain development.

Unfortunately, no medicines are available to treat those with the Zika virus, and there are no vaccines to help restrain it. The lack of treatment and preventive options has led officials to advise women to avoid getting pregnant so long as the Zika danger remains. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that pregnant women consider delaying travel to the areas where Zika is escalating. Alongside, they should “plan their pregnancies and try to avoid getting pregnant this year and the next.”

Will the Zika virus spread widely within the United States? This is a relevant question and concern for residents of America. Travelers returning to the United States with Zika after being infected in parts of the world where the virus is heightening have been witnessed. According to CNN, the Zika virus is “now spreading explosively” in the Americas. The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated between 3 million to 4 million infections in the region over a 12–month period. “The level of concern is high, as is the level of uncertainty.” Luckily, it seems improbable that we will see widespread transmission of Zika in the mainland U.S.

The CDC identifies one new health threat each year and works around the clock with an approach that prioritizes the safety of Americans. It has exceptional laboratories and the world’s best disease detectives. CDC is working with international public health partners and with state health departments to alert healthcare providers and the public about Zika, to provide state health laboratories with diagnostic tests, and to detect and report cases, which will help prevent further spread. Meanwhile, let us hope for positive results from clinical trials on a vaccine that could begin this year.