Zika Virus Outbreak: What You Need To Know

The Zika virus, an alarming and disturbing infection that may be linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains, is spreadin
g through the Americas.

Some areas have declared a state of emergency, doctors have described it as "a pandemic in progress" and some are even advising women in affected countries to delay getting pregnant.

What are the symptoms

• wild fever
• conjunctivitis (red, sore eyes)
• headache
• joint pain
• a rash

A rare nervous system disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, that can cause temporary paralysis has been linked to the infection.

There is no vaccine or drug treatment. Patients are advised to rest and drink plenty of fluids.
But the biggest concern is the impact it could have on babies developing in the womb and the surge in microcephaly.

What is microcephaly?  

  

it is when a baby is born with an abnormally small head, as their brain has not developed properly.the severity varies, but it can be deadly if the brain is so underdeveloped that it cannot regulate the functions vital to life.Children that do survive face intellectual disability and development delays.

 It can be caused by infections such as rubella, substance abuse during pregnancy or genetic abnormalities.

 Brazil had fewer than 150 cases of microcephaly in the whole of 2014, but there have been more than 3,500 reported cases since October.

The link with Zika has not been confirmed.

But some babies who died had the virus in their brain and it has been detected in placenta and amniotic fluid too.

Where did Zika come from?

It was first identified in monkeys in Uganda in 1947.The first human case was detected in Nigeria in 1954 and there have been further outbreaks in Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Most were small and Zika has not previously been considered a major threat to human health.But in May 2015 it was reported in brazil and has spread rapidly.It has since also been reported in: Barbados, Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Suriname and Venezuela."Its current explosive pandemic re-emergence is, therefore, truly remarkable," 

How does it spread?

it is spread by Aedes mosquitoes.They are found throughout the Americas except for Canada and Chile where it is too cold for them to survive.If they drink the blood of an infected person they can then infect subsequent people they bite.

They are the same insects that spread dengue and chikungunya virus.And, unlike the mosquitoes that spread malaria, they are mostly active during the day, so bed nets offer limited protection. The WHO expects Zikato spread throughout the America , but other scientists have warned that countries in Asia could face large outbreaks too.

What can people do?

As there is no treatment, the only option is to reduce the risk of being bitten.

Health officials advise people to:

• use insect repellents
• cover up with long-sleeved clothes
• keep windows and doors closed

The mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, so people are also being told to empty buckets and flower pots.

The US Centers for Disease Control has advised pregnant women not to travel to affected areas.

Source BBC UK and WHO