FACTS ABOUT ZIKA VIRUS

ZIKA VIRUS

Zika virus first identified in monkeys and spread into humans. The infection is nowadays world wide-spreading. The virus is contagious. It is spreading by a bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.

Sexual transmission is also possible. The Aedes mosquito is also responsible for spreading Dengue and Chikungunya.

Unlike malaria-carrying mosquito, this mosquito is active in the daytime and hence mosquito nets that are used at night during sleeping time may not be a good barrier for this.

These mosquitos are active in both indoor and outdoor environments.

The mosquitoes are of two types.1.Aedes albopictus(Asian Tiger mosquito);2.Aedes Aegyptus

Zika infections originated from Africa followed by South East Asia and the Pacific Islands. First, the virus was identified in monkeys in Uganda in 1937 followed by the first infection in a human being has been found out in Nigeria in 1954. This is followed by further outbreaks.

At first in the beginning stage, it is totally asymptomatic in many people, if symptoms occurred it may last for a week. In asymptomatic cases, the infection can only be confirmed through lab tests.

Recent concern about this virus is it is potentially active in those who have some birth defects such as microcephaly, featured with small heads and brain.

The World Health Organization has declared that the Zika virus outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency Of Universal Concern.in Feb 2016.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) has issued travel warnings to those who frequently travel to the following countries:-

1.Central and South Americas such as

Argentina,Belize,Bolivia,Brazil,Colombia,Costa Rica,Cuba,Ecuador,El Salvador,French Guiana,Guatemala,Guyana,Honduras,Nicaragua,Panama,Paraguay,Peru,Suriname,Venezuela.

2.Caribbean such as Anguilla,Antigua,Barbuda,Aruba,Barbados,Bonaire,Curacao,Dominica,Dominican Republic,Granada,Guadeloupe,Haiti,Jamaica,Martinique,Puerto Rico,Saba,St.Barthelemy, St.Lucia, St.Martin, St.Vincent, and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands

Oceania such as American Samoa, Fiji, Kosrae(Federated States of Micronesia), Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga.

North America such as Mexico

Africa such as Cape Verde

Zika can spread from mother to infant through fetal circulation during pregnancy.

The tests for Zika can be applied to the samples of body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, and semen.

Still, no confirmed medical treatments are available for the disease. At present Niclosamide an antihelminth drug used for tapeworm infection is prescribed by the doctors who are safe in pregnancy, yet then it needs to undergo several tests to repurpose it for the treatment of Zika infection.

Recently a research team had found a link between Zika and microcephaly a serious berth defect where babies are born with a much smaller brain and head.

Another birth defect Zika can cause is Guillain-Barre Syndrome in which there is a total loss of the peripheral sensory nervous system.