If a Zika-infected mosquito bites a pregnant woman, the virus can travel into her bloodstream, and from there, might make its way to the baby, where it may interfere with fetal skull and brain development, says Dr. Hotez. Not every pregnant woman who contracts Zika will give birth to a baby with microcephaly. And there are degrees of severity of the defect as well: Mild cases won’t necessarily cause any health problems, but babies with severe conditions might have seizures and learning disabilities later in life. Currently, there’s no cure or treatment for microcephaly during any stage of the baby’s development; nor, for that matter, is there a cure or vaccine for the Zika virus.What about breastfeeding? Good news: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there aren’t any reports showing that babies can catch the virus while they’re breastfeeding, so women don’t have to stop on account of Zika.As early as last week, the idea that Zika could be spread via semen seemed more theoretical than probable. But on Tuesday, health officials in Dallas County confirmed that a patient in the area contracted the virus after having sexual contact with someone who’d returned from one of the countries with a Zika outbreak On Wednesday, the CDC issued a press release stating that, until researchers know more, pregnant women should take some extra precautions. The updated advice: If your male partner lives in (or recently traveled to) one of the areas where the Zika virus is circulating, he should either wear a condom — or you two should put off sex entirely — until you give birth. Abstaining from sex for nine months may sound crazy, but because of all the unknowns, the only way to reduce your risk to zero is exactly that. However, it's completely up to you to decide your own tolerance for risk, and if you're not pregnant or actively trying to get pregnant, this is less of a concern.Experts have known that this was a possibility, but health officials in Brazil recently confirmed that two people who’d received blood transfusions also became infected with the Zika virus. Even though the odds of this happening are super low, the American Red Cross has asked people not to donate blood if they’ve traveled to Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central or South America within 28 days. (They also say that donors who do give blood and develop symptoms of the virus later on to let them know immediately; they can quarantine your blood.)