--- title: Zika Virus Symptoms: What Should I Look Out For? description: There are four common symptoms that characterize Zika: red eyes, joint pain, rash and fever. But many people have no symptoms at all canonical: https://time.com/4322775/zika-symptoms-mosquito-virus/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-11T14:39:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T17:23:07.548Z article:section: Health og:title: Zika Virus: What Symptoms Should You Look Out For? og:description: There are four common symptoms that characterize Zika: red eyes, joint pain, rash and fever. But many people have no symptoms at all og:url: https://time.com/4322775/zika-symptoms-mosquito-virus/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a51e2759ccc1525/69889295428a9e4256cd2910/mos.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2101 og:image:height: 1182 og:image:alt: 128541783 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Zika Virus: What Symptoms Should You Look Out For? twitter:description: There are four common symptoms that characterize Zika: red eyes, joint pain, rash and fever. But many people have no symptoms at all twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a51e2759ccc1525/69889295428a9e4256cd2910/mos.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Zika Virus: What Symptoms Should You Look Out For? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=f5d0e48a-c58f-4ca7-8f0c-2dcfae394b05&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 11, 2016 2:39 PM UTC  Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin May 11, 2016 2:39 PM UTC Mosquito season is just around the corner, which means the U.S. and other countries are [ramping up mosquito control](http://time.com/4304851/how-the-united-states-is-bracing-for-zika/?xid=time%5Fsocialflow%5Ftwitter) in an attempt to contain the rapidly spreading [Zika virus](http://time.com/4318624/zika-virus-and-birth-defects-what-you-need-to-know/). But as [TIME recently reported in our cover story](http://time.com/4319115/what-you-need-to-know-about-zika/?xid=homepage&pcd=hp-magmod), authorities still expect the U.S. to see some locally transmitted cases of the virus this summer. One challenge is that it can be difficult to track the exact number of people infected with Zika, because the symptoms are similar to other diseases—and the vast majority of those who are infected don’t show any symptoms at all. For those who do develop symptoms, the most common ones that characterize a Zika infection are red eyes, joint pain, rash and fever. If a person has a rash with or without a fever and another one of the four symptoms, that is considered a probable case of Zika. Still, there are other ailments that can cause similar symptoms, like the flu or other mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue. Right now, the people at risk of getting infected are those who travel to one of the over 40 countries with ongoing Zika virus transmission. Should a person start having symptoms of the virus within two weeks of traveling to an affected region, it may be a good idea to see a doctor and determine whether to be tested. All pregnant women who travel to regions with Zika should be tested regardless of whether they have symptoms, health experts advise. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable since Zika is now proven to cause microcephaly, a birth defect, in infants. Partners of pregnant women should also be aware that the virus can be sexually transmitted, which is why health officials are advising men to abstain or use contraception for six months if they have been exposed and don’t want to pass it on. Women who may have been exposed should wait at least eight weeks before trying to get pregnant. Currently, only state and federal laboratories can test for the virus and sometimes results can take weeks to get back. You can read more about whether you should be tested [here](http://time.com/4318624/zika-virus-and-birth-defects-what-you-need-to-know/). **Read more**: [10 Zika Facts You Need to Know Now](http://time.com/4318624/zika-virus-and-birth-defects-what-you-need-to-know/) Travelers who return from a place where they may have been bitten by a mosquito carrying Zika, but do not have symptoms, can ask their doctor to be tested, but they will likely be [low priority](http://time.com/4318624/zika-virus-and-birth-defects-what-you-need-to-know/). 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