from http://www.big1news.com.br/zika-virus-o-que-e-sintomas-prevencao-e-tratamento.html As we enter the new year 2016, concerns raise in Brazil over the presence of a newly introduced virus, the Zika virus, which has been recently connected to an unusual number (in the thousands this year, as opposed to less than 200 in previous years) of babies born with microcephaly. This condition, mainly babies with abnormally small heads, is incurable and leads to many complications affecting mental development. Some babies with the condition have died. Women in Brazil, especially those planning to have kids or currently pregnant are scared, and there have been warnings about postponing these plans for now from the Brazilian government. The risk for microcephaly for the fetus is higher if the mother gets infected with the virus during the first 3 months of pregnancy. The virus wasidentified in the amniotic liquid of two infected pregnant women in Brazil with diagnosed microcephalic fetuses.
Zika virus owes its name to an Ugandan forest where the virus was first discovered and isolated from a rhesus monkey in 1947 as part of a yellow fever study. Until 2007 though, most cases had been only reported in Africa and Asia, later on spreading across Oceania and in 2015 arriving in Latin America.
New to Brazil (and now spreading possibly to neighboring countries such as Colombia and Venezuela, as well as Panama and El Salvador, and with the first reported case from Puerto Rico in the news today) Zika originated in Africa. Some researchers think it may have been introduced during the 2014 world cup which took place in Brazil, others postulate that it may have occurred during a canoe race afterwards with paddlers from French Polynesia, the site of a Zika outbreak in 2013.
Dengue fever, Chikungunya virus (see my post on this vírus) and Zika virus are spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. The same mosquito species Aedes aegypti transmits all these 3 viruses, which is a concern as sick people may be co-infected with two of these viruses at the same time. These mosquitoes are mostly active during the daytime, and live in areas where water accumulates and where female mosquitos lay their eggs.
New to Brazil (and now spreading possibly to neighboring countries such as Colombia and Venezuela, as well as Panama and El Salvador, and with the first reported case from Puerto Rico in the news today) Zika originated in Africa. Some researchers think it may have been introduced during the 2014 world cup which took place in Brazil, others postulate that it may have occurred during a canoe race afterwards with paddlers from French Polynesia, the site of a Zika outbreak in 2013.
Dengue fever, Chikungunya virus (see my post on this vírus) and Zika virus are spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. The same mosquito species Aedes aegypti transmits all these 3 viruses, which is a concern as sick people may be co-infected with two of these viruses at the same time. These mosquitoes are mostly active during the daytime, and live in areas where water accumulates and where female mosquitos lay their eggs.
From: http://drealfmgrenada.com/2015/11/13/zika-virus-reaches-caricom-five-cases-confirmed/
From: http://www.tuasaude.com/sintomas-causados-pelo-zika-virus/ The 3 viral diseases also show similar symptoms, and they are all febrile in nature. Dengue fever is serious and symptoms include fever which may be high, headache, pain behind the eyes, joint, muscle and bone pain, rash and mild nose bleeding; Chikungunya manifests with fever, severe joint and muscle pain, headache and a rash. Zika is milder- mild fever, joint and muscle pain, headache, pain behind the eyes and usually red eyes, and a rash. There is no cure and the treatment is purely symptomatic, based on pain relief, fever reduction and anti-histamines for the rash.
Zika disease diagnosis may be based only on symptoms, but more accurately when based on detection of viral RNA from samples of ill patients during the first 3–5 days after the onset of symptoms (from urine samples possibly up to 10 days). Afterwards, serological tests based on the presence of Zika-specific antibodies in the patient may confirm a possible Zika diagnosis.
There are reports of a few Zika infections in returning travelers in the US, which the CDC fears may soon increase as a result of local spreading, as the transmitting mosquito is common in Florida and along the Mexican border. Tropical diseases, due to global warming (raising temperatures North and South of the Equator resulting in expansion of the habitats of insect vectors that transmit infectious diseases) and increased mobility of people around the world, may show more outbreaks in new regions more frequently in the future.
There are reports of a few Zika infections in returning travelers in the US, which the CDC fears may soon increase as a result of local spreading, as the transmitting mosquito is common in Florida and along the Mexican border. Tropical diseases, due to global warming (raising temperatures North and South of the Equator resulting in expansion of the habitats of insect vectors that transmit infectious diseases) and increased mobility of people around the world, may show more outbreaks in new regions more frequently in the future.
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