OKLAHOMA CITY - A 2015 OSU graduate is being treated in Haiti after contracting the Zika virus.
Lauren Steverson went to Haiti in January and is expected back in March. The missionary says though she contracted Zika, she is feeling well.
Symptoms of Zika start with fever then develop into a bad headache followed by back pain and a rash on the face and limbs.
When asked if Zika is blown out of proportion Steverson said yes, except in pregnant individuals.
The Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted disease discovered in Uganda in 1947.
The CDC has told pregnant women to consider postponing trips to the Caribbean and Latin America where Zika is spreading.
Dr. Robert Welliver with OU Medicine says symptoms of the virus are not serious, but in pregnant women can kill brain cells and limit skull and brain growth.
There is no vaccine, but doctors are working to develop one.
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