Zika on the Rise!
By: Roxanne Edwards
2/10/2016- If you haven’t heard about Zika, you can read
about it here! Zika- a mosquito borne virus that was discovered in Uganda in
1947, but was first found in humans 5 years later in Brazil has reemerged, and
reports are that more than 4000 cases have been found across the Americas and
the Caribbean.
Among the many cases, Zika which is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes is believed to have more adverse effects
on fetal development when passed from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby. Reports are that a serious birth defect that results
in a neurological disorder and an undersized head known as microcephaly has been linked to pregnant women carrying the Zika virus. Researchers are using evidences to tie in how
the virus is linked or contributes to the disease.
Another source has confirmed 404 cases of microcephaly in
Brazil in newborns, and these cases have been linked to the Zika Virus. To
date, 15 babies have died from microcephaly, and five of the cases have been
traced to Zika, authorities have reported.
Researchers also believe the
virus can be caught from having sexual intercourse with a partner already infected,
and WHO said the virus could affect up to 4 million people this year.
“I think we’ll discover a lot of parallels,”
said Dr. Mark R. Schleiss, the director of pediatric infectious diseases and immunology at the University of Minnesota Medical
School, affirming that findings so far should be sufficient for making a
reasonable conclusion in the future.
Now, authorities are faced with a challenge in ensuring the virus does
not spread to other regions. So far, the Centers For Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), as of February 3, 2016 has reported a total of
Authorities are asking
individuals and particularly pregnant women to put off travel arrangements to
South and Central America, the Caribbean and Pacific Islands until further
notices are given.
In the meantime, remember to
report any appearance of fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis (red eyes),
muscle pain and headache to your primary care physician (PCP), as these are known
symptoms of Zika. The virus is usually
not fatal and symptoms may last for a week.
There is currently no cure for the Zika virus.
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Roxanne is a writer, blogger and visual media host of kids and moms health, lifestyle, fashion and food features. You can contact her at: mommylifestylebyroxanneedwards@yahoo.com
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and visit her Blog at: http://roxannepedwards.blogspot.com/
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