ZIKV Response Paper

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.

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

Researchers have built up a nonhuman primate model of Zika infection disease to better comprehend its course in people, particularly in pregnant ladies. David O'Connor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and partners infused eight rhesus macaques—two of them pregnant—with the Asian strain of the infection as of now flowing in South and Central America. The non-pregnant and pregnant monkeys were still contaminated 21 days and up to 57 days after the fact, individually, and all creatures were resistant to reinfection 10 weeks post-infusion, the scientists reported today (June 28) in Nature Communications. Before distribution, the group was posting its information online continuously.

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.

Marsha- As we know, the Zika virus can be passed from the mother to the fetus and can cause congenital microcephaly and other severe brain defects to the fetus. If you have a confirmed case of the Zika virus, does your department have a protocol in place for scanning these patients? Have you performed a case that there was a confirmed case of the Zika virus? If so, can you tell us what the physicians plan was for the patient and fetus?

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

The appearance and spread of the Zika virus inside the United States has recently made a huge impact on our society and healthcare professionals. The virus is being passed from an infected mother to her unborn child causing severe, life-altering disabilities and defects. More and more cases of the virus are being reported, with the biggest impact on the development of unborn babies. With no vaccine to protect against Zika, it is especially critical for pregnant women to take precautions when being exposed to mosquitoes, the primary vector for Zika.

The article “Study Finds Multiple Problems In Fetuses Exposed to Zika Virus”, author Rob Stein (2016) explains the complications that babies in the womb might face when exposed to the Zika virus. Zika’s recent outbreak has created global concern, especially due to the known correlation of microcephaly in newborn infants (Stein, 2016). Unfortunately, a recent study has shown that Zika might cause more than microcephaly in infants whose mother had the Zika virus. Stein includes the report by The New England Medical Journal that showed the results of Zika in pregnant women could lead to miscarriages, brain damage, growth issues, and other health complications (Stein, 2016). Zika is a global health issue that requires assistance, research, and intervention strategies.

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

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.