ZIKV Response Paper

A woman who is pregnant can transmit the Zika virus to her baby. Babies who have been infected with the virus can be born with microcephaly, a birth defect that impacts head size and brain development.

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

This result has been 30 times higher than pre-Zika virus years and there has been more birth defect within the first trimester. The result of the study indicated that 15% of women with confirmed Zika infection during the first trimester had babies with birth defects and that almost every state reported one woman with suspected Zika infection during pregnancy. Based on the report, infants born to women with evidence of possible Zika virus infection should follow-up and routine development assessment that will help identify for future outcomes associated with the Zika virus. Neuroimaging test is needed to detect these abnormalities. The report also indicates that the study has at least four limitations and that there was limited data about the maternal risk factors such as genetic or other infectious causes, which could has been the reason for some of the birth defects reported in the study. Overall, the result of this study is important because it gives more information about the Zika virus and how is affecting pregnant women in U.S.

“This study marks a turning point in the Zika outbreak. It is now clear that the virus causes microcephaly”( Tom Frieden). Microcephaly is an abnormal smallness of the head, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development. With the Olympics being held in Brazil, there is much cause to attention the potential disease being brought back to the U.S. by female athletes bringing an epidemic to carry havoc on the citizens of the United States. It can be spread very easily through mosquito bites of the yellow fever mosquito. From the mosquitoes, the virus does not cause many symptoms to its victims generating unknown awareness of the virus. “ Only one in five people who become infected with Zika virus will feel sick. Symptoms of Zika virus infection include fever, rash, pink eye, pains in joints, pain behind the eyes, headache, and muscle pains”( Levison, Matthew). The symptoms, if any, last 4-7 days in most cases. The Zika Virus is an easily spread disease with few symptoms.

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

McNeil, Donald G., and Pam Belluck. "Extensive Brain Defects seen in Babies of Mothers with Zika." New York Times, 14 Dec, 2016, pp. A.3, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

A healthy patient may experience flu-like symptoms, but it is not fatal and symptoms generally subside within one week. However, the virus can be extremely dangerous to pregnant women and the development of her unborn child. Currently, there are two theories on the transmission of Zika from mother to baby during pregnancy. “The first is transplacental transmission. This theory proposes that virus is transferred directly from the mother to the fetus via the placenta. Once infected, the fetus suffers neural damage as a direct result of the virus. The other theory is one of placental inflammation, which proposes that maternal viral infection creates a placental inflammatory response. This response in turn results in fetal neural damage” (Hamel, 2016). The Zika virus during pregnancy is known to cause many birth defects such as hearing loss, eye

The Zika virus has had a constant presence in the news for the past few months. This article describes Ana Gabriela do Prado Paschoal's struggles. She contracted the Zika virus while pregnant with her now three month old daughter Maria. Maria now suffers from brain lesions, stiff muscles, and brain damage. With the help of scans, imaging, and autopsies doctors learned that the Zika virus eats away at the fetal brain. It is responsible for shrinking or destroying the part of the brain that controls vision, thought process, and other basic functions.

Stein also reports that microcephaly in infants due to the Zika virus is rare, but the risk has been increased in Brazil, due to the endemic status of the infection (Stein, 2016). This article mainly focuses on pregnant women and their children,

February 1, 2016 the World Health announced a PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern) that declared the Zika virus was a global health emergency. Brazil being the most affected country in the world right now has cases where pregnant women with the virus have given birth to children with smaller heads causing their brains to not develop correctly.The Zika virus is a flavivirus (Karimi) that is related to the common dengue virus and West Nile disease. A flavivirus is a group of RNA (a ribonucleic acid), that are mostly carried by mosquitoes, flies, fleas, etc. The virus carried causes severe human diseases, that are most commonly related to the Dengue and West Nile disease. The disease

April 2015, small but deadly outbreaks began in Brazil, South America. Hundreds of Brazilian women infected by the Zika virus, endanger their unborn children to develop a form of brain damage called, Microcephaly. In the early months of 2016, South America’s CDCP (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) announced the Zika virus has taken full effect, and called for a state of emergency. Researchers today, study the effects of the Zika virus, where it comes/evolved from, and if there is a cure.

ABSTRACT: This paper will demonstrate how ultrasound has been a key tool in aiding the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in diagnosing how the outbreak of Zika virus has led pregnant women to develop fetal abnormalities such as microcephaly among others. An ultrasound is used to determine microcephaly by measuring the fetal head circumference (HC). If the HC is more than 2 standard deviations (SD) below the mean compared to other fetuses that same age and gender then this indicates microcephaly. A condition such as microcephaly usually doesn’t present itself until the second or third trimester. It is important for the sonographer to be proficient and to have time on their side in hopes for an early detection, thus recommending regular ultrasounds every few weeks to monitor the progress of the fetus.

While Zika can cause new borns to be born with astringent brain affliction, there may be an opportunity to tame the virus to fight brain tumors in adults. The Zika virus, which landed in South America from Polynesia about four years back, is most hazardous in pregnant ladies. It can cause microcephaly and related neurological issues in the children of ladies who were contaminated while pregnant, also with a higher rate of a miscarriage.

As stated earlier the disease can be spread through mother to child contact. Women who are expecting children can pass off the disease to the child during pregnancy. Furthermore, Women who are infected just prior to delivery can give off the disease to her newborn. The transmission of the Zika virus to newborns has caused adverse effects, and many newborns have been diagnosed with Microcephaly as well as other fetal brain deformities. Microcephaly is a birth defect that causes an infant's head to be abnormally smaller than other infants his or her age and size, additionally, it causes them to have smaller underdeveloped brains.

Aedes species carry the virus. Many people think that Zika is a brand new virus, however, that is untrue. Zika was first recognized in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys; it was identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania (WHO 2016). Usual symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis and last for a few days to a few weeks. Because of the mild symptoms people think they just have a common cold and many cases of Zika go unreported. Even pregnant women may be unaware they have the virus and do not check to see if their baby has developed Microcephaly. Microcephaly causes babies to be born with heads much smaller than the average child’s, which leads to developmental delays, disabilities, difficulty swallowing and walking, hearing loss, and vision problems. Babies born with severe Microcephaly are at risk of mortality. Brazil has banned the use of pesticides to control the Zika outbreak because there was concern that the pesticides were causing Microcephaly because previous Zika outbreaks did not link with Microcephaly; however, Zika mutates frequently and it has been confirmed that Zika is the link and not pesticides (Mercer 2016). Researches studied Zika infected pregnant mice and they found that the mice born had smaller than average heads; they also had other abnormalities such as, eye problems and cell death. One of the researchers, Muotri,