There have been some scary headlines and newscasts the last few weeks about some health issues.

One has hit very close to home. A tuberculosis outbreak in Perry County continues to make news as the Department of Public Health works to get the disease under control.

On the heels of that continuing story, the Zika virus has become a national news story. That too has come home with news Wednesday that the first travel-related case has been reported in Alabama.

While it’s only natural to be concerned about your health, there’s no need to be paranoid. Everyone should just educate themselves about the issues.  We have written extensively about tuberculosis, but want to share some information about the Zika virus too.

Zika virus is being transmitted primarily through the bites of Aedes species mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are the same species that transmit dengue and chikungunya viruses which have also been associated with travel-related illness over the past few years.

There have been recent reports that Zika virus is spread through blood transfusion and sexual contact. Rarely, the virus may spread from mother to child around the time of birth.

It also may be possible to spread the virus from a mother to her baby during pregnancy.

Infection with the Zika virus causes only mild symptoms in the majority of the cases, but an apparent link to birth defects and other pregnancy-related poor outcomes has been associated with infection during pregnancy.