ST. LOUIS — As health officials across the country continue to monitor the Zika virus, one Illinois man is sharing his story of first-hand experience with the virus.
The Illinois Department of Health reports 13 cases of Zika, while the Missouri Department of Health reports four people have now been diagnosed with the Zika virus. In Missouri, the most recent case is a pregnant woman who recently traveled to Nicaragua.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now considers Zika to be the definitive cause of an epidemic of birth defects in Brazil and other countries with outbreaks of the virus. It also causes Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare condition in which the body attacks its own nerve cells, causing paralysis. The agency warned the virus is "scarier than we initially thought."
The virus, largely spread by mosquitoes, can sometimes be transmitted sexually or through blood transfusions. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern."
Kevin McGinnis and his family travel to South America every year to visit his wife's family in Brazil. After the trip during the summer of 2015, he noticed some unusual symptoms.
“I came back and was kind of achy, my back was hurting, and I just didn’t feel quite right,” he said.
He returned to Glen Carbon, Ill., earlier than his wife and children. When he went to the airport to pick them up the next day, the symptoms continued. His wife also noticed red dots on his arm, which spread very quickly.
“So I got home and I pulled up my shirt and it’s like — covered,” he said, pointing to his torso. “Then I freaked out like, whoa — what is this?”
His wife had an idea, McGinnis said. She’d learned about the Zika virus spreading through her native Brazil and other countries in the region. The virus is spreading rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean. McGinnis said a trip to the Urgent Care confirmed her suspicions.
He took the rest of the day off work, and within a few days the dots and soreness went away. He said the experience was pretty painless and over quickly.His wife had an idea, McGinnis said. She’d learned about the Zika virus spreading through her native Brazil and other countries in the region. The virus is spreading rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean. McGinnis said a trip to the Urgent Care confirmed her suspicions.
“It was, for me, a non-event. Seriously, the cold I have now is worse than that!”
After his experience, McGinnis doesn’t want to minimize the threat the virus poses to pregnant women and their babies. He has seen the images and read the same stories describing the risks.
He simply hopes the general public will pay attention, but not panic.
McGinnis said his family will return to Brazil again this summer, as they always do. They even have plans to attend the Olympic Games in Rio.
“We'll probably use more bug spray than we have in the past but other than that, no other precautions,” he said. “We didn't have any reservations about going again.”
Contributing: Liz Szabo, USA TODAY. Follow Jennifer Meckles on Twitter: @JenniferMeckles
