NEW ORLEANS (WWL-TV) — As temperatures rise, so do concerns about the spread of the Zika virus. So far authorities said there is no evidence of mosquito-transmitted Zika in the U.S., but there have been cases in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

That’s why LSU Health is hosting an information session Monday in Mid-City.

“Probably the thing that’s most frightening about it is 80 percent of people don’t show symptoms.  So you can get infected with it and not even know it,” said Kelli Gerkin.

Gerkin is six months pregnant. She’s being proactive when it comes to protecting herself and her other child, who is 15 months old against the Zika virus.

“You wear long sleeves, prepare and wear sunscreen and bug spray at the time,” said Gerkin.

She and her husband traveled to Mexico early in her pregnancy. After learning that the mosquito-borne Zika virus could cause complications and severe fetal abnormalities she consulted with her doctor.

“We’ve done the anatomy scans and ultrasounds and everything,” said Gerkin. “She seems to be growing great which is reassuring.”

What isn’t reassuring is the spread of the virus worldwide. While there is no evidence of Zika in the continental U.S., National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a map showing the estimated monthly average arrivals to the U.S. from countries on the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Zika travel advisory. 

“Unfortunately, people don’t really worry about things until they happen very close to them and of course what we should be doing is educating people thoroughly to prevent this from coming here,” said Dr. John England.

Dr. England is the chair of neurology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine. He traveled to Honduras recently with a Zika work group. He said poverty, densely populated areas, standing water and a lack of air conditioning has lead to the spread of Zika.

Those are conditions commonly seen in New Orleans. The CDC is monitoring nearly 300 pregnant women with Zika in the U.S. and its territories to see if their babies will be impacted. They contracted the virus sexually through partners that went to impacted areas.

“We don’t know what the exact risk is,” said England. “The studies suggest its 1-29 percent, but we don’t really know. Once the virus is gone, once it’s not replicating, it’s not in the blood stream then there doesn’t seem to be a subsequent risk after that. In other words, the risk to the baby is when the virus is circulating in the woman’s body.”

England will be sharing more of what he learned with other medical professionals at a panel Monday in the LSUHNP Human Development Center Auditorium at 411 S. Prieur St. in Mid-City. The auditorium is located on the first floor, and the panel is free and open to the public.

Twenty percent of those infected with Zika have symptoms including rash, red eyes, fever, aches and pains in the joints and some swelling. However, doctors said the majority of people may not know they have been infected with the virus.

(© 2016 WWL)