The virus Zika commonly found in Southwest Asia has suddenly affected Americans in South Flordia and Texas. The virus has spread mostly by the Aedes mosquito which bites a person and passes it onto them. Another transferring method of Zika is from a pregnant woman to its offspring. “Some infants with congenital Zika virus infection who do not have microcephaly at birth may later experience slowed head growth and develop postnatal microcephaly” (CDC). Although Zika is commonly known for birth defects, some women with the virus may not give birth to a defected baby or even have any symptoms. Symptoms do not occur with this virus which makes it hard to find in people. A way of testing is to take urine and blood samples to detect Zika. Also, no treatment or cure has been made. The only way to keep the virus contained is to avoid being bitten or spray for the mosquitos using an areal spray.
Flordia State University, John Hopkins University, and The National Institute of Health has all teamed up to try to find a cure for Zika. An existing drug, Nicolasmide, has been commonly used to treat tapeworm. Recent studies have shown that it may also be able to stop Zika from multiplying in the body and keep it from killing precious brain cells. Hengli Tang, a professor at FSU, teamed up
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We have been underestimating the virus and it has spiraled out of porportion. Without better global surveillance of the disease, it will become harder to prepare for possible virus outbreaks in urban areas. Having global surveillance is very costly, which is why most developing countries do not have it. Zika is an easy to miss disease with there not being many symptoms or cases of it. The first outbreak was on Yap Island. Over 70 percent of the population developed the virus, yet researchers did not know how to cure or find it easily. There are still many things that are unknown to us about this virus, which is why the time is now to fight against
Zika virus was discovered by scientists in the Zika rainforest in a remote part of Uganda in 1947, in the serum of an infected rheseus monkey. With five thousand two hundred thirty- four known cases of the infectious virus documented in the United States. There is currently no vaccination for the flu like virus. The chief concern of the healthcare administration is to continue to take preventive measures to prevent contracting the virus. Within the same flavivirus family
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?
In the recent article, “Zika outbreak: What you need to know” by the BBC, the World Health Organization released valuable information regarding how to detect the disease, and what steps you can take to prevent it. Some of the common symptoms of Zika are; mild fever, red and sore eyes, headaches, joint pain, and rashes. Death from Zika is rare, but a very uncommon disorder can be caused by Zika called Guillain-Barré syndrome. This disorder will cause temporary paralysis. As of now, there are no drugs or vaccines that will help prevent Zika, but those who have the disease should rest and drink plenty of water. The largest concern regarding Zika is the impact it has on fetuses still developing in the womb. Zika can cause another serious disorder
The Zika Virus outbreak currently developing in Latin America is a challenge that the US must worry about. With Latin America being right next door to the United States, the Zika Virus must be contained within Latin America but Latin America should be offered some relief in treating and preventing the disease. More specifically, the US should emplace traveling restrictions for heavily infected countries and regulate health exams for people traveling to South America. The US should also enforce tighter mosquito season requirements like monitoring mosquito populations and require spraying in areas with suspected cases. In terms of international relations, the US, in collaboration with other world powers, should adopt policies to help stop the spread of viral diseases like Ebola and other diseases like Zika by working with
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,
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
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.
In the article, “Local Transmission of Zika Virus is reported in Texas”, it stated that on November 28th, 2016 health officials announced Zika has been reported in Texas. In the United States, the virus has only been in Florida. In Florida, it was believed to be carried by mosquitoes from person to person. But this case in Texas is carried by a women. Medical Investigators are trying to found out if the infection is spreading.
Nowadays, there is no treatment or vaccination available for Zika. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) states two reasons why it is hard to find the cure:
The Zika virus is a virus that is mostly spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. It is a widespread virus in Asia and Africa. This virus is not a new diseased that just developed, it has been around for years. Zika was first exposed in Uganda in 1947. Nonetheless, fear didn’t start arising until this year 2016. This virus is best explained as discomfort in the muscle, a fever, being weak and symptoms possibly lasting for days. It’s quite a different virus to detect compare to other viruses’ symptoms. Zika posts danger to the human body but more importantly, it places pregnant women and babies at more danger than anyone else. This virus can be easily passed from a pregnant women to her fetus, putting her life and her child life in danger. If the virus is transmitted to the embryo, the virus will produce severe damage to the baby’s growth and the women life. Considering this, we need to extremely pay close attention to our health and this virus.
The Zika virus is primarily caused by a bite from an infected (Aedes species) mosquito. This disease has a long list of symptoms including: fever, rash, joint pain, and the list goes on. The part that makes this disease difficult to control is that the symptoms are rarely severe enough to get sent to a hospital, so many people do not realize they are infected. The virus was discovered in 1947 in Uganda. Since then there have been outbreaks documented, primarily in tropical Africa and Southeast Asia. In 2005, the Pan American Health Organization released a warning concerning the virus and the first confirmed case of Zika virus in Brazil (About Zika Virus Disease). Moreover, in early 2016 it was declared by the World Health Organization that this virus was a “public health emergency of international concern (About Zika Virus Disease).” The Center for Disease Control and Prevention gives information on how to best avoid contracting this disease. They note that no vaccine is in existence for this virus, furthermore the advice they give readers is “prevent Zika by avoiding mosquito bites (About Zika Virus Disease).” I think this speaks volumes in regards to how difficult it is to create any plan to combat the onset of diseases. We cannot draft a piece of legislation or policy to stop the spread of a disease; it will not make a difference. It also places countries in a state of
Zika is a mosquito born virus that was first discovered by researchers studying monkeys in Uganda during the 1940s. By 1952 the virus was identified in humans and throughout the 1960s to 1980s small outbreaks were found across Africa and Asia. The Island of Yap reported the first large outbreak of Zika in 2007. In 2015 Zika spread to Brazil, The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, El Salvador, México, Paraguay, Suriname, and Guatemala. During this period Brazilian scientists discovered a link between Zika and Guillain-Barré syndrome, causing the immune system to attack nerves. Later a link to microcephaly, which causes a baby to be born with an abnormally small head due to abnormal brain development. In 2016 Zika continues to spread throughout the Americas. This virus poses an extreme threat to pregnant women continuing to spread through sexual transmission and mosquitoes.
CDC reports, “humans are the primary amplifying host for Zika virus. An estimated 80% of persons who are infected with Zika virus are asymptomatic. Symptomatic disease generally is mild and characterized by acute onset of fever, maculopapular rash, arthralgia, or nonpurulent conjunctivitis. Symptoms usually last from several days to 1 week. Based on information from previous outbreaks, severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon, and fatalities are rare” (Hennessey, 2016). Most people who are infected with the virus don’t even know they are infected. That’s why many countries that are infected are urging people to use protection during sexual intercourse and to avoid pregnancy. According to CNN, “One in 10 pregnant women with confirmed Zika infection had a fetus or baby with Zika-related complications in 2016” (Goldschmidt,
Prior to the 2015 outbreak of Zika in Brazil, the disease was relatively obscure. The disease was discovered just over 70 years ago, and there have been small outbreaks worldwide from the 1960’s to 1980’s. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Zika is spread from infected mosquitos and transmitted when a person is bit. The signs and symptoms of Zika are; rash, fever, muscle/joint pain, headaches and conjunctivitis. Symptoms typically resolve within a week or so, and recommended treatment is rest, hydration and treating the pain with medications (CDC, 2017). What made the outbreak in 2015 so much different? What happened in Brazil to have made world news, and illicit a response from agencies like the CDC and World Health
Análisis multimodal de la caricatura política. Reconstrucción de la imagen del expresidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez.