Zika Virus: A Case Study

Community health nurses face a multitude of challenges as they strive to improve health outcomes in the community and monitor and manage diseases. Valued for their adaptability, ability, and willingness to provide care in many settings, including schools, homeless shelters, and community health clinics, community health nurses provide comprehensive care to their clients wherever the client is located. Perhaps one of the more complex and challenging areas for a community health nurse is that of infectious diseases. With the advent of the Zika virus into the United States, community health nurses must be up to date on the latest studies and recommendations from the Centers for Diseases Control (CDC). Since much of the recent information released centers on the Zika virus and pregnant women, it is imperative community nurses know not only what the virus is, but how it is transmitted, assessment findings, and educating the community on ways to prevent the virus.

In this project women of childbearing age was largely the population of focus, with many social determinants of the health that made this already vulnerable population even more in need of assistance concerning possible Zika outbreaks, prenatal education, and family planning services. Social determinants of health may include a variety of non-medical variables such as socioeconomic status, education attainment, neighborhood factors, racial discrimination, access to resources, working environment, etc. (Braveman, Egerter, & Williams, 2011; Mendez, Hogan, & Culhane, 2013). Women of childbearing age in relation to Zika virus exposure risk may encounter institutionalized racism and various upstream determinants of health that may negatively impact their ability to obtain healthcare coverage, educational resources, and family planning services. The political trends in Texas towards defunding Planned Parenthood and not expanding Medicaid services has placed an enormous burden on the women of Texas who wish to plan or prevent pregnancy but do not have the financial means to do so (Darney, et al., 2017). In the wake of a possible endemic disease, such as Zika virus, the most vulnerable will be the most susceptible.

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.

Summer is here and our Austin fertility specialists have a Zika virus update to share with you. Learn how to protect yourself and your family!

One ongoing case that has evolved in the United States throughout the past couple of years is the Zika virus. The Chicago Tribune wrote “Commentary: To fight Zika, Deploy the National Guard” which was written on May 27, 2016 by ML Cavanaugh. According to http://www.mlcavanaugh.com, ML Cavanaugh is a United States Army strategist and has taught classes in the defense and strategic studies program. He was the youngest recipient of the “Order of Saint Gabriel the Archangel” according to mlcavanaugh.com.

2. When doing a media audit I felt that for the most part The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention media releases about Zika Virus were very informative, helpful, and timely. However, in January 2016 it was reported that The CDC rescheduled their advisory warning three times that day before finally giving their phone conference at 7p.m.(Washington Post, 2016). When the travel notice was released there was a lot of questions from the public. At this time The CDC didn’t have many answers as to what all was going on except that they found a connection between Zika Virus and fetuses , "What we know now is that fetuses can be infected with the virus. That's not new for infectious diseases, but it is new for this virus,”

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.

According to the Public Health website, Zika virus is spread by two mosquito’s; neither is found in the state of Oregon. Some signs and symptoms of this virus include fever, rash, joint pain, microcephaly in babies and much more. Although, there are no treatments available for this type of virus but one can take precautions by using an insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and by avoiding unprotected sex with an infected person. Pregnant women should avoid traveling to Zika- affected areas. As of April 26, 2016, there are six travel-associated confirmed Zika cases in Oregon, and zero mosquito-acquired cases (1O things Oregonians should know about Zika, 2016).

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

Many pregnant women have been taking advantage of Florida’s offer of free Zika testing. The con with the free testing is that state laboratories have been unable to keep pace with the amount of women using this benefit. This has resulted in hold ups for women anxious to know whether the virus has passed to their fetuses. The reason for so many women concerns is “babies infected

How is the Zika virus affecting pregnant women in the United States? A report published Tuesday by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, provided evidence of the risk of birth defects increasing when women are infected in the first trimester. The hypothesis of the report indicated that one in 10 pregnant women with Zika virus in U.S. have babies with birth defects and that there was at least one pregnant woman with a suspected Zika virus infection in every state of the United States. The USZPR includes data of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. This study was in response to the recent outbreak of Zika virus cases worldwide and the concerns of birth defects linked to this virus. Babies infected with the Zika virus are born with small heads, known as microcephaly, a

S., it is unlikely that there will be a major outbreak. Local vector-borne transmission of Zika has not been reported elsewhere in the United States, but cases of Zika have been reported in returning travelers (Zika virus, para. 2). Currently there has been one birth in which the newborn was infected with the Zika virus and diagnosed with microcephaly in Hawaii (Dahl, 2016, para. 4). According to Fox (2016), “Experts almost all agree that Zika is unlikely to spread much in the U.S., in part because the Aedes aegypti mosquito isn't common except in parts of the far south and Hawaii, and also because Americans mostly live indoors, with air conditioning and little chance for the mosquitoes to live and breed inside homes” (“Where's Zika Most Likely in the U.S.? The Answer May Surprise You” para.

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 growing concern of the Zika outbreak that originated back in 1947 Uganda in monkeys and later crossed over to humans in 1952 has now reached several countries. These outbreaks are occurring in Brazil and reportedly more than 7,000 people have been infected from mosquito bites. On February 1, 2016 the World Health Organization declared the Zika a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. To combat the issue Louisville activated the “Zika Response Action Plan, which provides guidelines for preparation and response to the virus in the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) jurisdiction” (ZIKA Response plan, 2016). The plan being used by Louisville demonstrates the prevention and mitigation being executed

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?