Recently, Zika Virus becomes the prime topic of discussion among the society worldwide. What is it exactly? Zika is a type of disease caused by a mosquito. The symptoms are quite similar to either the chikungunya or dengue viruses. In fact, they are spread by the same mosquito. The disease is named after a particular Forest located in Uganda. The virus has spread all over the world including Pacific Polynesia, Asia and South America. At the first time, there were only 14 cases in human happening until 2007. In the past, people considered the virus as harmless. There were only mild symptoms and there wasn’t any relation to microcephaly or birth defects. In this session read more about Zika Virus Symptoms, Treatment and Precautions.
The Outbreak Development of Zika Virus
There was also an outbreak in 2013. It was in French Polynesia and it caused a little worry due to its effects on health problems and lifelong cognitive deficiencies. The virus has spread over 30 countries today. The most recent epidemic was in Brazil and there were thousands of cases reported since last year. There was also an outbreak in Cape Verde. By the end of December, there had been around 5,000 cases recorded. The experts said there wasn’t any transmission case yet within Europe so far. There’s a possibility of an outbreak if the climate goes warm, though.
The mosquitos that spread the virus originally came from subtropical and tropical regions. Today, they can be found everywhere excluding Antarctica. The insects are common to find in Florida and southern part of America. They also live in Australia, Asia, and Africa. The virus can be transmitted through the human. In accordance with the recent report, there’s a case in Netherland. The mosquitos’ bites aren’t the only causes of the transmission. There’s also the possibility of transmission caused by sexual intercourse. In fact, there was American biologist who believed that he had transmitted the virus to his wife through a sexual intercourse.
Symptoms
The question is whether or not Zika Virus is dangerous. Actually, it isn’t dangerous to human excluding pregnant women. Those who are affected with the virus don’t show notable symptoms. However, 1 of 5 patients may experience some problems such as fatigue, joint pain, a rash, conjunctivitis, and fever days after being infected. These conditions usually last for a week. The risk of infection becomes higher for people who travel a lot. Some experts warn travellers not to contact with their spouse sexually unless they have undergone a medical test to find out their condition.
Why are pregnant women prone to the virus? The evidence becomes clearer over time regarding the relation between the virus and birth problems such as microcephaly. It’s the condition where the brain of the fetus doesn’t grow in a regular manner. This may cause the baby to be born malformed. Some countries including France, Brazil, El Salvador, and the United States have given lots of concerns regarding this matter. Overall, the virus is quite troublesome for human, especially among pregnant women. The babies won’t get enough chances to develop a normal human brain. This may affect the whole life of the baby, for sure.
Treatment & Precautions
How is Zika Virus treated? The common symptoms of the virus are easy to deal with. People only need to get some rest and drink more water. In some cases, they need to take medicines to overcome both the fever and pain caused by the virus. If the symptoms get worse, they need to get medical assistance from the experts. Unfortunately, there are no vaccine or cure yet for the disease. The best thing people can do is to avoid getting infected by the virus. As there are no cures yet, they need to prevent from being infected. How?
Most experts may suggest the most efficient prevention method against the virus. It’s by avoiding the insects and their breeding habitat. There are many mosquitos’ breeding sites people should avoid including swamps, rivers, lakes and other water surfaces. The application of insect repellents is also useful. For travellers, wearing appropriate and safe clothing is a must! It’s due to no available vaccine or medicine to prevent the virus. It’s also important to prevent the biting when visiting tropical countries. They never know whether or not they bring back the virus to the homeland.
For pregnant women or those who have plans to get pregnant, pre-scan for the virus infection is necessary. This is to find whether or not they are safe to have a baby. Getting early checkup helps women avoid the risks of getting malformed babies. What about the travelers? If people want to travel, they should know the risks of getting bitten by insects. There will be aggressive insects in tropical countries. It will be hard to avoid getting bitten by those mosquitos. Applying the repellent could be the only thing people can do.
In daily routines, people can simply wear a cover-up and loose outfit to repel leeches that carry Zika Virus. After all, they also need to deal with the nests of the insects by reducing their numbers. Any preventive measures will help them avoid the virus in an efficient manner. If necessary, they need to take a regular visit to the doctor. The purpose is to get a medical checkup regarding the infection. Feverish conditions can be the initial symptom of the disease, actually. People only need to be more concerned about the virus. Otherwise, they will risk not only their health but also their future babies.
