Zika Virus: A New Emerging Threat

3 Mar, 16

Zika Virus: An Overview

Zika virus is an emerging mosquito-borne virus, included in the genre, Flavivirus.
It spreads through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, mainly Aedes aegypti in tropical regions. The same mosquitoes also spread dengue and chikungunya virus.
Even though these mosquitoes bite primarily during the morning and late afternoon/evening hours, they can also bite at night.

In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus infections. In addition, more than 13 countries in the Americas have reported sporadic Zika virus infections.
In December 2015, the first local transmission of Zika virus infection was reported in the Caribbean.
Prior to 2015, outbreaks of Zika virus have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific islands.
There have been around 4,000 reported cases of microcephaly in Brazil alone since October.
Both the WHO and CDC have declared Zika as a global emergency.

The most common symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes).
Other common symptoms include muscle pain, malaise and headache. These symptoms are usually similar to that of dengue or chikungunya.
The symptoms are usually mild and last for several days to a week. Severe infection requiring hospitalizations are uncommon and deaths due to Zika infections are rare.

To diagnose Zika virus infection, doctors can order a Zika virus-specific blood test.
No specific medication is yet available against Zika virus. Infected people should take plenty of rest, take lot of fluids, and treat fever and pain with common medicines like acetaminophen.
The sad thing is there is no vaccine available for the prevention of Zika virus infection. But according to some recent news, a Hyderabad-based company named Bharat Biotech has claimed to achieve a breakthrough in vaccine development against Zika virus.

Zika virus infections can be transmitted from pregnant women to their babies during pregnancy or around the time of their birth.
This is of major concern because a serious birth defect called microcephaly has been reported in babies of Zika virus-infected mothers. Microcephaly is a condition in which the baby’s head is smaller than expected and its brain doesn’t develop properly as compared to babies of the same sex and age.
Microcephaly can be diagnosed during pregnancy or after the baby is born. To check for microcephaly during pregnancy, the ultrasound test should be done late in the second trimester or early in the third trimester.
Hence, until more is known, the CDC recommends special precautions for pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant. Pregnant women or women trying to become pregnant in any trimester should consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Pregnant women who do travel to one of these areas should talk to their doctor or other healthcare provider first and should strictly take precautions against mosquito bites.
If infected, the Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for about a week. The virus will not cause infections in a baby that is conceived after the virus is cleared from the blood.

As there is no specific medication available for Zika virus, the best thing is to prevent ourselves from being infected by mosquito bites.
The best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites by using mosquito repellents, wearing clothes that cover the full body and using mosquito nets.
Even during pregnancy, using an insect repellent is safe and effective. Pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding can and should choose an EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)-registered insect repellent and use it according to the product label.
While travelling to Zika virus-prone countries, wear clothes that cover the full body, use a mosquito net, and use EPA-registered insect repellents.