In the article I read I learned that their has been a new discovery found by three british people that traveled who had a virus that has been spreading in most of Central America because of mosquitoes. They have announced to women who are pregnant that they should cancel trips to many countries such as El Salvador, Brazil, Colombia, México, Puerto Rico, and etc. The virus that has been spreading is called “Zika” which is a mosquito borne disease and is connected to a condition called microcephaly which causes babies to be born with deadly deformations and developments. There is no treatment or cure to heal a person affected but there are ways to prevent it such as mosquito repellant and covering your skin. If people are bit by the mosquito
The recent spread of the fatal Zika virus throughout Central and South America has left the world in shock. The entrance the virus into Miami has enhanced the scare even more. Now that it has become a realistic problem to the United States, the thought of personal safety comes to mind. There is a global panic erupting and it is obvious that this disease needs to be stopped. This mosquito-transmitted infection can be passed onto a human with as little as one bite, and because it is a virus, there is no absolute cure for it. Seeing these facts, the only thing that can be done is preventing it from moving any further. Zika has proven that it is a threat around the world, so to ensure that the country stays safe and this epidemic is contained,
Based on the statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 23,000 people in the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rico have contracted the Zika virus. Especially, there are more than 2,000 pregnant women, which is especially troubling because the virus can cause birth defects. The CDC estimates that 20 babies in the mainland U.S. and 1 baby in Puerto Rica have been born with birth defects related to Zika. The Zika virus can cause microcephaly – a condition where a baby's head and brain are undersized and underdeveloped – in as many as 13 percent of babies born to women who get infected while pregnant. It is also linked to several other types of birth defects, and to Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. As the result, the deal reached in Congress includes $394 million to help control Zika-carrying mosquitoes and another $397 million to help develop a vaccine against the virus and better tests to help diagnose cases of Zika. There is also $66 million allocated to health care for people affected by Zika in Puerto Rico and other U.S.
Consequently, the spread of the Zika virus from its originating countries of Africa and Asia, to American countries has linked the virus as an ongoing epidemic. Due to climate changes, warmer winter temperatures, there is an increase of egg survival (Ali, 2017). Warmer spring, summer, and fall temperatures may also lengthen the season transmission of the virus in temperate regions as well. In addition, the spread of the flu- like virus in humans is is also due to natural disasters, such as, earthquakes and hurricanes destroying homes forcing residents to sleep outside exposing themselves to infected mosquitoes. International travelers are also at potential risk of contracting the virus, especially in industrialized countries. Furthermore, pregnant women or women of child bearing age should refrain from traveling to countries that are known for the Zika mosquito infestation.
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
This article focuses on the outbreak of the Zika virus, which has recently begun spreading across the world with an emphasis on Latin American countries Brazil and Colombia. There are currently over 26,000 people who have been confirmed as infected with the virus in Colombia alone and this number is expected to rise dramatically to about 600,000 within the coming months considering the location and altitude of the countries and the frequency of their carrier mosquito. The virus has no vaccine yet; all prevention methods are focused on controlling the mosquitos spreading the disease by promoting proper sanitation regarding dirty water storage and accumulated trash. Among the people infected is 16-year-old Angie Paola Castro, one of 3,177 women
This BBC News article discusses the spreading Zika virus in Spain. Sources in Spain have broken the news that the first diagnosed case of a pregnant woman contracting the virus had occurred in the country of Spain. The article discusses how this case, as well as most other cases currently diagnosed in Spain, had been contracted outside of the country in regions where the virus is rampant. The article also talks about the widespread fear that the Zika virus is the cause of some birth defects, specifically underdeveloped brains in infants.
The start of the video explains the origin of the propagation of the Zika virus, which uses the Aedes mosquito as a host, to aid in the dispersion of the virus by method of biting. Once the person has been bitten by the mosquito and contract Zika, the virus can continue to disseminate through sexual contact or from a pregnant woman to her fetus. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) arrived to an important conclusion, Zika virus causes many malformation
Many scientists all around have heard of a virus before, but not as infectious as the zika virus. This virus can ruin a little infant. But one truism statement about this virus, which freaks out scientists, is that it is carried by mosquitos. Terrible isn't it? If I were you, I would think to myself what will make this virus restrain itself? Well in order to stop it the best solution is to splat the mosquitos; because well let's face it, mom's little children that have been born wouldn't want to have a small head and a big body. Lots of people came back with this virus but the devastated citizens didn't notice this virus coming to
Since then, the Zika virus has been rapidly spreading in Brazil and other Latin American and Caribbean countries. On Feb. 1, 2016, the Zika virus was announced as a public health urgency by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the virus was linked to the microcephaly in which babies are born with a brain defect (Tavernise, 2016). The Zika is not a deadly disease, and the symptoms are: fever, rash, inflamed eyes, and joint pain (Ramzy, 2016). However, one significant effect of the Zika virus is the microcephaly because a baby with microcephaly has abnormally small head which includes brain, eyes, and ears, damages (CDC, 2016). It is not only the baby’s life that is effected but also the parent’s lives will be changed because the parents have to take care of the baby for the rest of their lives. More than 3,800 infants in Brazil have recently been found to have microcephaly (Romero, 2016). The Zika epidemic has spread 25 countries (Jacob, 2016); however, why is the Zika epidemic growing more serious in Brazil? The Zika epidemic has been attributed to some factors, including: the Aedes aegypi mosquitoes’ habitats, the
The purpose of Lupton’s article is to collaboratively working with global health organizations to stop the spread of Zika virus by educating residents living in affected areas about the risk and complications of the virus and how to prevent women of reproductive age from getting infected. The author addresses that there are over 35 countries around the world, including Brazil, have been affected with Zika virus. The spreading of the virus has caused great concerns to un-infected neighbor countries about the increasing risk of the congenital abnormalities. One of the most important of the author’s point of views is that health care providers should educate their patients and/or people in the community with knowledge about potential dangerous
The Zika virus is spreading throughout the world. The Zika is a virus spread through mosquito bites. The Zika virus isn’t a new virus, it was discovered in the 1940s. The Zika virus has increased in places like Brazil and French Polynesia. The virus is harmful to pregnant women because, it increases the change in babies being born with microcephaly. If I was in this situation, I would wear thick clothing to prevent a mosquito from biting me. The conflict could be solved with more treatment being made.
Easier access to abortions and birth control is an effective way of slowing the number of Zika related microcephaly cases in infants whose mothers were infected with the virus. Women become infected and then have to live in worry for nine months, hoping their baby will not be born with this horrible birth defect that governments are allowing babies to be born with undersized heads and brains even though they can prevent it by allowing women to take birth control and have abortions (Philips, Miroff, and Cobb).
The Zika Virus has taken the country by storm in recent months. The virus is spreading explosively across South and Central America. Zika is a virus which was thought to be previously harmless, but recently,
The most recent outbreak of the Zika Virus through Latin America and the Caribbean, and its association with microcephaly in newborns has attracted significant attention from researchers and health specialists. In 2013 and 2015, large outbreaks of the virus were respectively reported in French Polynesia and Brazil. In 1947, The Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in Rhesus monkeys. It was then identified in humans in 1952 in some parts of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania The virus, also known as ZIKV, is an arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family, and is closely related to dengue, yellow fever and Chikungunya viruses (Al-Qahtani et al., 2016.); an arbovirus refers to a group of viruses transmitted by arthropod vectors (MedicineNet.com, 2016). The Zika disease is caused by the Zika virus that is primarily transmitted through a bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. Though the incubation period of Zika is not clear, it is estimated to be around 2-7 days after the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito (World Health Organization, 2016).
Throughout the Caribbean, Central, and South America there has been health crisis that’s has been affecting the youngest generation of these developing countries. Thousands of babies have been born with a birth defect known as microencephaly. This birth defect can cause horrible problems such as seizures, mental retardation, developmental delays, short stature and difficulties with coordination and balance. (Centers for Disease Control 2017) This birth defect often leads to having to provide life-term medical care and it was determined to be caused by the mother acquiring a mosquito-borne infection with the Zika virus. So, what is this Zika virus and how can