Thank you for sending in your questions. I passed them along to Dr. Simor, who gave the following responses:

Q. How long does the virus last in your system?
A. The Zika virus remains in your blood for approximately one week. However, it can remain in a male’s semen for at least 60 days.

Q. Does it go dormant with the possibility of becoming active again?
A. No.

Q. If you are a woman and you get bitten and confirmed with the virus, for example, in January, how long should you wait before trying to get pregnant? Is there no chance of microcephaly after this period?
A. If a woman had a confirmed case of Zika virus, or if she has returned from an endemic area, she should wait for 8 weeks before trying to conceive. Most importantly, the woman should be sure that her male partner did not also have the Zika virus, because the virus can persist in his semen for at least 60 days. This is why it is recommended that men returning from Zika affected areas abstain from sex or use a condom for 3 months. It is not currently known when the greatest risk of microcephaly developing during pregnancy is, but it is thought to be highest during the first trimester.