The World Health Organization declared Zika a world health emergency. Zika is the latest virus to hit the people of Brazil and also other parts of Africa and America. The head of the Pan American Health Organization stressed that more resources were needed quickly in the region to fight this disease.
What is Zika Virus?
Zika virus is a disease spread by the bite of a mosquito. This blood sucking mosquito may not be man’s best friend but it surely loves man. The mosquito in question is Aedes aegypti that is causing wide spread fear in Brazil. It is also linked with birth of thousand of babies having defect at birth. The mosquito loves its surroundings and thrives on built up areas like pots, buckets, bowls or standing water where it lays its eggs. Even during the months when the water dries out the eggs can survive. It is like cockroaches or pigeons that prefer urban life rather than being in the jungle.
Disease caused by Zika
The Aedes aegypti has long been known as the yellow fever mosquito hence Zika is getting this world wide attention. Yellow fever can cause jaundice, bleeding or hemorrhaging and multiple organ failure in some cases. It is estimated that nearly three hundred and ninety million people are affected with dengue virus mainly due to the bite of the Aedes aegypti. Another disease called chikungunya is also causing alarm all around the world s it’s the bite of this Aedes aegypti that is causing alarm bells to ring around the world. Both male and females share the same nectar. However it is the female mosquito that has the final say when it comes to biting human beings.
Microcephaly
Microcephaly has come to prominence since news reports came out linking the Zika virus to birth defects. In this case the size of the skull of the baby is small and the size of the brain is under developed. There were parts of the corpus callosum or nerve fibers that did not form at the back of the head so as to connect both the two hemispheres of the brain. There are varying ways of the condition getting worse depending on the health of the baby. A small head would also result in loss of appetite. Other serious problems that occur in children with Microcephaly are seizures, intellectual disability, and difficulty in swallowing, hearing loss and vision problems. In America alone over twenty five thousand children are affected with this disease every year.
Zika and pregnancy
Pregnant women in any trimester should opt out from travelling to countries that have Zika virus. As there is no vaccine or medication to prevent Zika virus entering one’s system it becomes all the more important for pregnant women to take precautions as they are more vulnerable. There are certain guidelines drawn out for pregnant women during a Zika outbreak. Pregnant women having redness of the eyes during or within two weeks of travel or who have ultra sound findings of fetal Microcephaly should be tested for Zika virus infection in consultation with state health department. There is no specific anti viral treatment for Zika virus. Maternal fetal transmission of Zika virus has been documented throughout pregnancy. However it is not known whether the Zika virus can cause fetal loss.
Persons affected by Zika virus through sexual contact
The first case of Zika virus being transmitted through sexual intercourse was reported from the Southern state of Texas in America. The person who was infected had sexual contact with a person who returned from Venezula where the virus was already present. The French authorities reported that the virus was found in the semen of a patient during the Zika outbreak in French Polynesia. This definitely supports the possibility that the virus can be transmitted through sexual intercourse. Zikavirus is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti and the spread of the virus is greater through blood transfusion.
Five things to know about Zika virus
- Zika virus is a tropical disease spread to people through mosquito bites and not from person to person. It is a mild disease and hardly needs hospital stay.
- Zika virus poses a significant threat to pregnant women as there is a strong link between the Zikavirus and babies born with small skull and undersized brain.
- Zika virus and microcephaly are linked because the infected woman passes the virus to the unborn baby through the placenta. This virus then damages the brain development or growth.
- Zika virus is likely to spread in America because the range of the yellow fever mosquito is from South Carolina to Florida right up till Arizona.
- As there is no vaccine for Zika virus one must protect one’s self from mosquito bites. This can be done by avoid keeping stagnant water at home in buckets, flower pots, tires and to wear mosquito repellent.
