As seen in Vanguard news the World Health Organisation has
declared the Zika virus an international public health emergency,
prompted by growing concern that it could cause birth defects. Until
recently, global health officials paid little attention to the Zika
virus that circulated in the same regions as Dengue and Chikungunya
viruses. It is estimated that four million people could be infected by
the end of the year. Pregnant women have been urged not to travel to
about 24 countries, mostly in the Caribbean and Latin America, where the
outbreak is growing. Zika infection appears to be linked to the
development of unusually small heads and brain damage in newborns.
What is the Zika virus?
The Zika virus is a mosquito-transmitted infection related to dengue, yellow fever and
West Nile virus. Although it was discovered in the Zika forest in Uganda
in 1947 and is common in Africa and Asia, it did not begin spreading
widely in the Western Hemisphere until last May, when an outbreak
occurred in Brazil.
Until now, almost no one has had major infections from Zika. Few have
had immune defenses against the virus, so it is spreading
rapidly. Millions of people in tropical regions of the Americas may
have been infected. Scientific concern is focused on women who become
infected while pregnant and those who develop a temporary form of
paralysis after exposure to the Zika virus.
ZIKA VIRUS ALERT: Pregnant women are urged to stay away from regions
affected by the Zika virus outbreak due to the risk of brain damage to
foetuses.
How is the virus spread?
Zika is spread by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, which can breed in a
tiny pool of water and usually bite during the day. The aggressive
yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, has spread most Zika cases. The
mosquito is found in Nigeria and some other countries.
What is the danger?
Zika causes brain damage in infants. Experts aren’t certain how it
happens, or even whether the virus is to blame. The possibility that the
Zika virus causes microcephaly – unusually small heads and damaged
brains – emerged only in October 2015, when doctors in northern Brazil noticed a surge in babies with the condition.
What is microcephaly?
Babies with microcephaly have unusually small heads. In roughly 15
percent of cases, a small head is just a small head, and there is no
effect on the infant, according to experts.
But in the remainder of cases, the infant’s brain may not have
developed properly during pregnancy or may have stopped growing in the
first years of life. These children may experience a range of problems,
like developmental delays, intellectual deficits or hearing loss.
What countries are affected?
Pregnant women are urged to avoid about 24 destinations mostly in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
Symptoms
It’s often a silent infection, and hard to diagnose. Until recently,
Zika was not considered a major threat because its symptoms are
relatively mild. Only one of five people infected with the virus develop
symptoms, which can include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. Those
infected usually do not have to be hospitalized.
What are the tests?
There is no widely available test for Zika infection. Because it is
closely related to dengue and yellow fever, it may cross-react with
antibody tests for those viruses. To detect Zika, a blood or tissue
sample from the first week in the infection must be sent to an advanced
laboratory so the virus can be detected through sophisticated molecular
testing. The Centres for Diseases Control and prevention, CDC, testing
algorithm for pregnant women who have visited countries in which the
Zika virus is spreading.
Most of those who get the virus do not feel ill — and there is no
evidence that babies are hurt only when the mother has been visibly
ill. But at the time the guidelines were issued, the CDC and state
health departments simply did not have the laboratory capacity to test
every pregnant woman who visited Latin America and the Caribbean in the
last nine months, as well as every pregnant woman in Puerto Rico.
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