Lately,
the mosquito-borne Zika virus has become a global emergency and a
subject of global concern, even as the World Health Organization has
projected
that up to 4 million people may be affected in the ongoing outbreak. As
of today, cases of the viral infection have been reported in 23
countries across the Central and South America. In fact, latest
statistics revealed that 36 people in the United States, including 4
pregnant women have been diagnosed with Zika virus infection.
Highlighted below are answers to some of the questions you may want to
ask about the Zika virus:
1. What is Zika Virus?
It
is a mosquito-borne virus first identified in 1947 among Rhesus monkeys
in Uganda. About five years later, Zikavirus was identified in humans
in Uganda and Tanzania. Since then, outbreaks of the virus have been
recorded in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. This virus
belongs to the flavivirus genre where Yellow Fever and Dengue also
belong.
2. How is Zika Virus transmitted?
So
far, it has been established that Zika virus is mosquito-borne. It is
usually transmitted to people when they get bitten by an infected
mosquito of the Aedes genus, especially Aedesaegyptii, the same mosquito
implicated in the transmission of Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever and
Chikungunya. Unlike the female Anopheles mosquito which transmits
malaria, Aedes mosquito has been described as a daytime mosquito because
it usually bites during the morning and evening hours.
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3. How can one know if one has Zika Virus?
Although
the time of exposure to onset of symptoms (incubation period) is yet
unclear for Zika virus, experts have said it is likely to be a few days.
The infected individual may experience mild symptoms of fever, skin
rashes, muscle and joint pains, headache, malaise and red eyes. Note,
however, that only about 20% of infected individuals will show symptoms
which typically last for 2 – 7 days.
4. Can Zika Virus wreak any havoc?
Intensive
research is still ongoing to establish a definite link between Zika
virus infection in pregnant women and babies born with small heads
(microcephaly). In Brazil which is the worst hit by the current
outbreak, more than 4000 children have been diagnosed with microcephaly –
a condition where a baby is born with an abnormally small head and by
implication, a small brain. Such a baby will most likely experience
delays in achieving developmental milestones as well as possible mental
retardation in future. In the same vein, the current Zika virus outbreak
has been linked with a higher number of cases of Guillain-Barre
syndrome, a rare paralysis syndrome that may occur after some viral or
bacterial infections.
5. How is Zika Virus diagnosed?
A
highly sensitive and specific method employed in the diagnosis of Zika
virus is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which is based on a process
that produces multiple copies of the viral DNA. Since the virus can
easily cross-react with similar flaviviruses such as Dengue and Yellow
Fever, serological diagnosis is not reliable since it can lead to
false-positive results.
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6. Can Zika Virus be treated?
Currently,
no drug treatment or vaccine has been discovered for Zika virus.
However, since the symptoms are often mild, supportive treatment will
often suffice such as drinking plenty fluids for adequate hydration,
pain relief, bed rest and control of fever.
7. Can Zika Virus be prevented?
Yes,
Zika virus infection is preventable by eliminating potential sources of
the Aedes mosquito and preventing contact between the mosquito and
people. How can this be achieved? By clearing your environment of
potential breeding sites such as stagnant water or overgrown bushes, use
of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, use of insect repellant creams,
putting on clothes that cover as much of the body as possible since the
Zika virus often bites during the day. In combating this menace, Brazil
has now deployed thousands of workers to scour her cities for mosquito
breeding grounds while also fumigating those areas and educating
residents on the dangers of still and stagnant water where the female
Aedes mosquitoes lay their eggsREAD MORE HERE
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