Contracting the Zika virus is as scary as it sounds, according to 21-year-old Brazilian college student Jade Coelho de Miranda, who was infected last year. She told The Post about her first-hand experience with the virus and its effect on her hometown of Rio de Janeiro, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Last October, I frequently hung around a large park at my college, the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. I didn’t think much of all the mosquitoes in the area — until I broke out in a rash that covered my entire body.

I was scared.

I told my dad, and soon found myself at a hospital, where they did multiple tests that confirmed I had contracted the Zika virus.

For the next week, I had severe muscle pain and a fever, two of the most common side effects of the infection caused by Aedes mosquito bites.

My whole body felt immobilized. I started having difficulty moving my hands — feeling like they were frozen. My eyes became irritated, too.

It was a terrible week. I couldn’t go out, exercise or do anything because the joint pain was so strong.

My pain was bad, but it was nothing compared to my father’s.

He was diagnosed a few days after me. His case was worse because it developed into a rare disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome, causing him to experience weakness in his legs and upper body.

He said he had pins-and-needles sensations in his fingers, toes, ankles and wrists for three months.

Cases like my dad’s worry me the most, as Zika has a different effect on each person. Some people might develop a rare syndrome like he did.

Right now, a lot of people in Brazil are afraid of Zika, especially pregnant women. Each week, there are more cases of newborn children being diagnosed with microcephaly, a birth defect that causes smaller skulls and brains.

There are some things we can do to prevent the Zika virus from spreading — wear bug spray, cover exposed skin, close domestic water tanks to prevent mosquitoes from getting in and dispose of garbage in a timely fashion.

I heard that soon, Americans may experience an outbreak. It is important that if you feel any of the symptoms I described, you go see a doctor immediately. Staying home and resting were essential to me feeling better.

While I’m not pleased that Zika is spreading, I am more hopeful that something will change now that it has garnered international attention.

Maybe now, authorities will be motivated to research the virus and finally be able to provide a solution for this disease.

We need a vaccine now.

We need a cure now — before it gets worse.