That’s right, Tigers pitcher, Francisco Rodriguez had the Zika virus during the off-season while he was visiting his native, Venezuela.
He reported symptoms similar to a cold or flu, but much worse.
“It wasn’t a cold, trust me…It wasn’t a cold. A cold, you have a sneeze, have a headache, take a couple Tylenol and you’re done. You don’t have a cold for two weeks, you don’t have a bodyache for two weeks, you don’t have headaches, throwing up, weaknesses for two weeks.”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the Zika virus, carried by mosquitoes, is on the rise and is a major cause for concern, especially among pregnant women. Mostly in Latin American countries, we hadn’t been too concerned with it…I personally had never heard of it. Recently though, there have been several reports of US and Canadian outbreaks. Now, Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said it took two months before he ultimately felt like himself again, adding that the recovery even affected him once he got into spring training with his new club, although he was never considered contagious.
With the Olympics going to Brasil in the next few weeks, lots of athletes are concerned, and rightfully so. The very best thing to do is understand the virus and what it means to you and your body. The virus can be sexually transmitted, and women who have contracted it are warned not to have children for at least 2 years.
Dayum…what else??
