human
I've been hearing a lot of talk about the Zika virus. What is it?
assistant
The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne disease that is spread by infected Aedes mosquitoes. It is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites, but can also be spread through sexual contact and from mother to child during pregnancy. Symptoms of the virus include fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. In rare cases, the virus has been linked to birth defects such as microcephaly in babies born to women who were infected during pregnancy.