**The main extra precaution is to protect your girlfriend from sexual transmission after you return. A routine Zika test cannot give you an “all clear.”**

First, a date clarification: the Puerto Rico outbreak and Miami headlines you describe are from **2016**. For travel now, in October 2026, CDC lists Puerto Rico as having *current or past transmission*, without an active Zika travel notice. CDC reports no confirmed cases from U.S. territories since 2019, although limited surveillance means that does not prove zero risk. ([CDC risk map](https://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/), [case surveillance](https://www.cdc.gov/zika/zika-cases-us/))

For your trip:

- **Use condoms consistently or avoid sex for at least three months after returning**, even if you feel completely well. This includes vaginal, anal, and oral sex. If symptoms or a diagnosis occur later, count the interval from that later event. Zika can persist in semen and spread without symptoms. ([CDC prevention guidance](https://www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/index.html))
- **If your girlfriend is pregnant, use condoms or abstain for the rest of her pregnancy**, and discuss your travel with her prenatal clinician. If you are planning pregnancy, discuss timing before departure; the usual precaution after male exposure is a three-month wait before trying to conceive. ([CDC pregnancy advice](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/pregnant-travelers), [preconception guidance](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6731e2.htm))
- **Continue preventing mosquito bites for three weeks after returning.** This reduces the possibility of infecting mosquitoes at home if you acquired Zika. There is no preventive vaccine or medication. ([CDC Yellow Book](https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/hcp/travel-associated-infections-diseases/zika.html))

**You generally do not need a post-trip appointment or Zika testing solely because you visited and feel well.** Testing asymptomatic travelers is generally discouraged, and testing cannot reliably determine whether you could transmit Zika sexually. ([CDC screening guidance](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK620921/?report=classic), [prevention guidance](https://www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/index.html))

Do seek medical advice if you develop fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes during the trip or within about two weeks afterward, and mention Puerto Rico. Dengue can look similar, so avoid aspirin and ibuprofen until dengue has been ruled out. ([CDC symptoms](https://www.cdc.gov/zika/hcp/clinical-signs/index.html), [clinical care](https://portugues.cdc.gov/zika/hcp/clinical-care/index.html))

**Extra Zika scrutiny at the airport is not something you should expect.** CDC’s published airline guidance says it does not request additional reporting of travelers who might have Zika. Case tracking generally happens through clinicians and health departments; it is not a routine testing requirement for passengers returning from Puerto Rico. ([CDC airline guidance—archived](https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/quarantine/air/managing-sick-travelers/commercial-aircraft/zika-qa.html), [case surveillance](https://www.cdc.gov/zika/zika-cases-us/))