5 of the biggest myths and misconceptions about Zika, debunked

This past year, the Zika virus has emerged as global problem.

The virus, which is primarily transmitted via mosquitoes, has been spreading around the Americas since May 2015. One of the reasons it's been so troubling is that it's a cause of a serious birth defect called microcephaly, in which the head of babies whose mothers have been infected with Zika during pregnancy are abnormally small. That's tied to a number of developmental problems.

As with many emerging diseases, the misinformation about Zika started circulating almost as quickly as the disease itself.

We're still learning more and more about the virus and how it affects people, but for now here are some of the biggest myths and misconceptions we've heard about Zika.