With the rapid spread of the Zika virus, Santa Barbara public health officials are advising residents to avoid mosquito bites and be aware of the 33 countries with travel advisories including Mexico and much of South America.

There are extra cautions for pregnant women, who are advised to postpone trips to virus-impacted areas. 

“Zika virus can be spread from a pregnant woman to her fetus,” County Public Health officials said in a statement Friday.

“There have been reports of a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly in babies of mothers who had Zika virus while pregnant. Knowledge of the link between Zika and birth defects is evolving, but until more is known, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends special precautions for pregnant women.”

Microcephaly is unusually small head size. 

As Noozhawk previously reported, the virus is transmitted primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito, and though no locally transmitted Zika cases have been reported in the continental United States, cases have been reported in returning travelers.

Up to 80 percent of people that could have the virus in their body may not have symptoms, which can include include fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes, muscle pain and headache. 

So far, five patients in Santa Barbara County have been tested for the virus; Two of the tests came back negative and the other results are pending, Public Health spokeswoman Susan Klein-Rothschild said.

Public Health has coordinated with local health care providers to test for the virus in travelers and pregnant women returning from a country where the virus is found, Klein-Rothschild said.

Officials are also working with the Mosquito and Vector Management District of Santa Barbara County to detect and monitor non-native mosquitos that carry the virus. 

Santa Barbara County Public Health advises people to: 

— Avoid mosquito bites to avoid disease and stay healthy.

— Report daytime and indoor biting mosquitoes to the Mosquito and Vector Management District.

— Eliminate standing water as they are mosquito breeding sources.

Click here for more information on the Zika virus from the CDC.

— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.