What you need to know about Zika Virus

The Zika Virus prompted an international travel warning for expectant mothers or women planning to become pregnant. The disease is transmitted mostly by
mosquitoes. It is being linked to birth defects in the babies of infected women in Brazil. . 

Emily Daffin, who is 23 weeks pregnant, was planning a vacation before the baby arrives.

"They call it a "baby moon" now I guess," said Daffin. "A chance to get away just the two of us before everything goes crazy in June." 

Emily and her husband planned a beach vacation in Florida until she heard all the warnings about Zika Virus. 

"So that got me doing a little research and the more I read about it, it just didn't seem like a risk we wanted to take," said Daffin, who is expecting her first child. 

Since there are mosquitoes in Florida, they decided to cancel the plane tickets with Frontier Airlines.

"All we had to do was get a doctor's note," said Daffin. "We were able to get a credit and then we're just going to take him along when we decide to re-book later this year."

Dr. Thomas Hershline is a public health specialist who said Emily should not be traveling to the Caribbean, South America or Mexico since she is pregnant. We asked him if it was smart
for Emily to cancel her Florida vacation?

"I think right now that's probably being overly cautious," said Dr. Hershline, Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County. 

However, Dr. Hershline said we should all take precautions to avoid mosquito bites, no matter where we go.

"The Zika Virus is not the only thing mosquitoes carry disease-wise. So, it's a good idea to be concerned about avoid mosquitoes and being bitten by mosquitoes," Hershline said.

You can protect yourself and your family by using an FDA-approved insect repellent, wearing long sleeves and long pants, and avoiding areas around standing water. 

Emily Daffin has no regrets about rescheduling her vacation until after her baby boy is born. 

"We're going to take our chances traveling with a three-month old or a four-month old and see how it goes," said Daffin.