Hallberg's Picture of Health: Concerns about the Zika virus

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sit in a petri dish at the Fiocruz institute in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil, on Jan. 27. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus currently spreading throughout Latin America.
Felipe Dana | AP

The Zika virus is now "a public health emergency of international concern," according to the World Health Organization.

And last week the first case was confirmed here in Minnesota. That's led to a lot of questions in the clinic for Dr. Jon Hallberg, a physician in family medicine at the University of Minnesota and MPR News' regular medical analyst.

Hallberg talked with MPR News host Tom Crann about exactly what the Zika virus is, reasons for the international panic and what Minnesotans need to know about it.

Use the audio player above to hear the full conversation.

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