Microcephaly In Brazil

The Olympic Games in Rio De Jaineiro during this past summer of 2016 shared the spotlight with the Zika Virus. Many athletes were concerned about this new transmitted virus and proceeded to walk away from the games. Even with many of the athletes backing out of the games there were many brave athletes that looked past this obstacle and focused on something else, winning the gold. The committee was thinking of relocating the Olympic Games because of the Zika breakout and all of the commotion it had caused. Not many knew about the new virus; how you could get it and how it was being spread. Many people just thought it was just another normal mosquito bite that only gave some type of minor flu. Little did anyone know that in fact the Zika Virus is very harmful and, can end up being deadly.

Zika virus is a disease cause by the Aedes species. Not only is it affecting people in Brazil, it is also going to affect the people going to the Olympics this summer. But Zika might not be what they think it is… Because the Zika virus in Brazil is spreading so quickly, it is causing people to react to it drastically. Since some people think Zika is dangerous, they are more hesitant in making their choices.

The most common symptom of the Zika virus is the abnormally small skull also known as, microcephaly. This virus which is transmitted as stated by the World Health Organization (WHO) is the This mosquito which carries the Zika virus inhabits areas with standing water especially, countries with inadequate sewer systems and

Zika virus creates a trepidation among people as it is spreading across South and Central America. We hear it every day as it is procuring Ebola-level awareness. In her article, “An Illustrated Guide To The Zika Outbreak, published in February 3rd of 2016, Anna Almendrala enumerates the effects of Zika virus and the alarming fear it causes among the people. “Brazilian health authorities notified the World Health Organization that an alarming number of Brazilian babies had been born with microcephaly, a rare, debilitating birth defect with lifelong consequences. Researchers quickly linked the spike in birth defects to the outbreak of a little-known tropical disease called Zika virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes” (Almendrala). The author expounds the fatal consequence to babies born with birth defects such as microcephaly: the condition where infants born with undersized heads. The author emphasizes the relation between Zika virus and microcephaly. Microcephaly is the condition where infants born with undersized heads. Almendrala’s purpose is to convey the idea of how the Zika virus is spread across the countries through mosquitoes and she informs the audience to take special care of pregnant women as they are more prone to the Zika virus and always be vigilant while traveling to countries that are affected by Zika virus, especially African, Central and South America where more people are affected by Zika virus and more babies are born with undersized heads caused by

As of now, there is no official vaccine for Zika. Instead, a patient that has the contagion must undergo certain treatments. Fortunately, the remedies for the virus are simple and cheap. If infection occurs, it is vital to get an abundance of rest and liquids; medication is also advised to assist in alleviating pain. The treatments for Zika are straightforward because the disease itself is rather mild. In fact, in most reported cases of the virus in the United States, the illness only lasted approximately two to seven days prior to the first set of symptoms (“World Health Organization”). It is evident that the fear associated with the Zika Virus is slightly exaggerated. Currently, there is only one recorded fatality in the United States that is directly related to Zika (“The Washington Post”). This is mainly because first world countries’ medical programs are advanced enough to effectively treat the virus. The standard of living in these countries are also higher compared to third world countries. That is why Zika has claimed a significant amount of lives worldwide; the poor conditions in these countries make it difficult for infected individuals to get proper

There is a great shroud of controversy surrounding this summers olympics in Brazil, and for a great reason. The Zika virus, a disease that is common in places throughout Brazil, threatens many athletes and tourists. This mosquito born disease spreads itself to woman all across the country, and gives deadly affects to newborn children. So with this sort of problem, there should be the question held: can Brazil hold the Olympics this year? This is a common question surrounding many in the world, and WHO (World Health Organization) claims that "There is no need to move the Olympics from Rio de Janeiro, or to postpone or cancel them" (BBC, Zika Virus: Risk of Spread). With an uncontrolled disease at hand, many wonder the confidence of WHO and

The Zika virus outbreak, the economic downturn, and the political turmoil have led to controversy about Brazil's ability to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The Zika virus is spread through mosquitoes, and some parts of Brazil have tropical climates, leading to a lot of rainfall. This creates mosquito breeding grounds. When pregnant women are infected, it can cause microcephaly, which is a birth defect where the newborn has a small head. This creates many serious problems for the newborn. The problem has become dire and the world health organization has stated that pregnant women should not travel to Zika-infected areas (BBC, Rio Olympics Zika: The trouble with Aedes Aegypti). This causes fear about traveling to Brazil, which decreases the

The Zika virus is rapidly becoming a prominent problem throughout the Americas, Africa, and Asia. The Zika virus is an arbovirus that inhabits Aedes species of mosquito populations and can infect humans through a bite. The Zika virus is also spread through sexual contact which is also causing fears in countries which Zika is rapidly spreading. The first case of Zika virus was discovered in Uganda in 1947 and has traveled across countries ever since. Zika is a single stranded RNA virus that has around 11000 base pairs. Upon infection, some common symptoms are fever, headache, rash, and diarrhea. These symptoms usually persist up to seven days and are usually mild in nature. However, some people may experience no symptoms at all which could further

“Introduced into Brazil in 2013, the Zika virus has brought mild illness to the populations of 65 countries, and has become epidemic throughout South and Central America. Since 2014, at least 1,638 babies with grievous birth defects have been born to women in Brazil who were infected with Zika during their pregnancies” (Zika epidemic in Latin America may have peaked, and scientists predict it will be over in 3 years). Researchers say that until about the year 2026, most people will already be exposed to Zika in Latin and South America. That means that most people in those countries will be immune to the virus. Researchers said recently that herd immunity will most likely take over by 2019. With that being said, the epidemic will be put to an

The virus is spreading through two different types of Aedes mosquitoes. Adults with the virus may only experience mild symptoms including pain, rash, or a slight fever (Partlow). The virus can often go unnoticed (Romero). The problems arise within the children born to women who have the virus. It is speculated that the Zika virus is causing infants to be born with microcephaly. This causes the child to be born with an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development. Brazil has been hit hardest with the virus and has seen over 4,000 cases of microcephaly

Given the many unanswered questions about the ZIKA virus I have chosen to focus upon Governments in countries with ZIKA. I will primarily focus on the Brazilian Government’s stance on abortion laws and their obligations to their citizens in relation to ZIKA causing microcephaly. I believe that the Governments hold the power at controlling the virus and lessening the deprecations. In addition, I feel that the governments in countries with ZIKA are not providing the basic needs and are therefore abusing the rights of their citizens. The Governments in countries with ZIKA have two obligations; first is to lift the ban on abortions relating to foetal abnormalities and secondly is to provide easy access to abortion clinics. With that been said,

Traveling to countries where the Zika Virus has widespread may not be the best vacation or destination. However, if you absolutely have to visit these areas you must prepare yourself and work to prevent

According to the New York Times article (Feb. 6, 2016) “How a Medical Mystery in Brazil Led Doctors to Zika,” there are only two “leading theories” explaining the frightening outbreak. Both hypotheses date Zika’s arrival in Brazil in 2014 via travelers attending the World Cup and Va’a World Sprint canoe race in Rio de Janeiro.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, “About 80 percent of people who are infected with Zika virus may not have any symptoms. Illness may develop in 20 percent of infected people within 3 to 7 days after a bite from an infected mosquito. Common symptoms of Zika virus infection include fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis (red eyes), muscle pain or headache. Severe symptoms and fatalities are uncommon” (“Zika Virus”). The author reports that not everyone with the virus will become sick, and some might never show symptoms. This is important because there is no clear way to be certain that you are not infected. The uncertainty of Zika is partly why it has become such a problem. If someone is unaware they have the disease, they could easily pass it on to others.

Zika virus, also known as ZikV, has been in the spotlight with several studies being carried out to better understand the effects of the virus on foetuses and newborns from infected mothers. This increased interest in the virus is as a result of a reported increase in the occurrence of microcephaly in Brazil, an occurrence which researchers suspect to be as a result of a corresponding global increase in the prevalence of this virus (Sarno et al. 2016; WHO 2016). Additionally, although a causal association has not yet been confirmed, there is an increasing consensus that the virus is behind not only this increase in microcephaly but also the observed current increase in the number of cases of Guillan-Barre syndrome (GBS) (Heymann et al. 2016; Schuler-Faccini et al. 2016). Furthermore, other reports have linked this virus to other neurological and Ophthalmological defects (de Paula Freitas et al. 2016; Martines et al. 2016; Mlakar et al. 2016) and a study by Sarno et al. (2016) have further linked it with hydrops foetal and foetal demise.