 Just a few months ago, hardly anyone had heard of Zika. Now, the virus is spreading rapidly through Brazil, Central America and beyond, and there are growing concerns that it may be associated with a birth defect called microcephaly. As experts continue to investigate possible links between Zika and microcephaly, we thought it would be useful to highlight five things worth knowing here, especially if you're a woman living in a Zika affected area or a considering visiting one. 1. Zika is primarily carried by mosquitoes and not just any mosquito. The primary culprit here is the species Aedes aegypti. It's a mosquito that loves people and it's also associated with diseases like dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya. It hangs around inside our homes as well as outside, it bites during the day, it can breed in just a spoonful of standing water and it's a sip feeder, meaning that it'll quite happily feast off a whole crowd of people, spreading diseases it goes. Using insect repellents and pesticides, covering up and getting rid of places where the mosquito can breed, like small puddles or even a soda can, all reduce the chances of being bitten. 2. The links between Zika and microcephaly are not yet certain, but the evidence so far has got experts very worried. The big concern is that if you're pregnant and become infected, your child may be born with the condition as a result. There's a lot we still don't know about the chances of having a child with microcephaly if you get Zika, but experts are concerned enough that they're urging people to act as if there is a reasonable risk, just in case. Of course, Zika isn't the only cause of microcephaly. Even without Zika, for every 5,000 babies born in the US for example, there's a good chance that one will have the condition, and there are indications that the pre-Zika numbers are even higher in Brazil. What we don't yet know is how much higher the chances of having a child with microcephaly might get as Zika spreads. 3. Scary as it might sound, having a child with microcephaly is not the end of the world. Microcephaly refers to babies that are born with a smaller than average head size. Sometimes, this can lead to severe disabilities, but often the effects are more manageable. If the microcephaly is really bad, your baby's brain might not develop fully. This leads to a condition called severe microcephaly, and children born with it need a lot of support from their parents and others. At the moment though, we don't know how likely this extreme form of the condition is if you're exposed to Zika while pregnant. Less severe cases of microcephaly can lead to effects such as delays in physical and mental development, learning disabilities, seizures, and hearing and vision problems. These can sound scary, and they can be challenging to live with, but the good news is that people with them can and do live full and active lives. 4. One of the best ways of reducing the chances of having a child with microcephaly is safe sex. This obviously doesn't work if you are planning to get pregnant, but a surprising number of pregnancies are unplanned and unexpected, and it's these where safe sex and birth control can help reduce the risks if you're exposed to Zika. This becomes even more important amongst teenage girls where the majority of pregnancies are unplanned. Part of the problem is that if you're not planning to get pregnant, there's a reasonable chance that you won't even realize you're pregnant for the first two or three months, yet these months are when your child is most vulnerable to factors that can affect brain development, including possibly Zika. Safe sex, using condoms in particular, also helps guard against getting Zika from someone who is already infected, and while experts are still working out how serious this risk is, it's probably a case where safe is definitely better than sorry. 5. One of the best defences against fear is good information from people who know their stuff. Let's face it, Zika and microcephaly are concerning, especially as there's so much we still don't know, and because of this there's a very understandable temptation to jump to conclusions and imagine the worst. Yet perhaps the biggest danger here is getting caught up in imagined fears that aren't supported by what we do know. Of course, it's not always easy to know who to trust when rumours start flying around, but here's a rule of thumb you might find useful. When you hear something about Zika and microcephaly, including the stuff in this video, ask yourself whether it makes sense, whether the source is credible, and whether it's backed up by credible experts and organisations. And if the answers no, proceed with caution. And on that note, please do check out the links in the blurb below for more information on Zika and microcephaly. Many thanks to the fabulous team who helped pull together this week's video. Don't forget to subscribe to Risk Bites, and as always, stay safe.