A Zika virus test looks for signs of a Zika virus infection in a sample of your blood or urine (pee). The virus is mostly spread by mosquito bites . But you can get Zika if you have sex with a person who has Zika, even if they don't have symptoms. Using condoms may help prevent spreading Zika through sex.
A Zika infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects in the unborn baby. Most unborn babies who get Zika will not have birth defects. But when birth defects happen, they often affect the brain and eyes.
The main birth defect linked to Zika is microcephaly. Babies with microcephaly have smaller heads than normal because their brains don't develop properly. A Zika infection in pregnancy also increases the risk of other birth defects, miscarriage , premature labor , and stillbirth .
Most people who get Zika have no symptoms or only mild symptoms that last a few days to a week. In rare cases, Zika may lead to Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a serious illness that weakens your muscles. With proper care, most people will recover from GBS over time.
Zika outbreaks come and go in different parts of the world. They tend to happen more often in tropical climates, including Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, parts of the Caribbean, and Central and South America. There have been outbreaks of Zika virus in the United States, but they have not been common.
Other names: Zika Antibody Test, Zika RT-PCR Test, Zika test