Dr. Sarah Park, State Epidemiologist for the Hawaii State Department of Health responded to reporters last week about a baby that was born in a Hawaii hospital with a birth defect linked to the Zika virus. It was reported that this is the first case in the United States linked to the Zika virus. The Hawaii State Health Department said that the mother probably contracted the disease while she was living in Brazil last year and passed the disease to her child while her child was still in the womb. Dr. Parks assured the public that there was no risk of the virus spreading from this case and that the Zika virus is spread when a mosquito bites an infected person and then bites someone else. The disease is not transmitted person to person. Dr.
First isolated from a rhesus monkey in Uganda, the Zika virus (ZIK V) did not pose a serious global threat until recent outbreaks in 2007 on Yap Island in Micronesia and the current outbreak which began in 2013 in the French Polynesia. And, although the virus is transmitted via infected mosquitoes, studies indicate that the disease potentially can be transmitted sexually (Musso, D., Roche, C., Robin, E., Nhan, T., Teissier, A., and
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.
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.
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 Olympic Games in Rio De Jaineiro during this past summer of 2016 shared the spotlight with the Zika Virus. Many athletes were concerned about this new transmitted virus and proceeded to walk away from the games. Even with many of the athletes backing out of the games there were many brave athletes that looked past this obstacle and focused on something else, winning the gold. The committee was thinking of relocating the Olympic Games because of the Zika breakout and all of the commotion it had caused. Not many knew about the new virus; how you could get it and how it was being spread. Many people just thought it was just another normal mosquito bite that only gave some type of minor flu. Little did anyone know that in fact the Zika Virus is very harmful and, can end up being deadly.
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
1. There are four key audiences that need to be communicated to about the actions of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first audience would be women who are pregnant or women who are thinking about becoming pregnant. This would be the most important key audience in my opinion since the Zika Virus greatly affects women who are pregnant and can cause negative impacts for their babies. Women who are thinking about becoming pregnant are also important because even though it currently doesn’t affect them or their baby it could in the future and they need to take precautions with where to travel and how to protect themselves. The second key audience would be couples or young adults of childbearing age planning to travel to affected areas. This audience needs to be
CDC has updated its interim guidelines for US healthcare providers caring for pregnant women and women of reproductive age during ongoing transmission of Zika virus. These guidelines apply to healthcare providers caring for women of reproductive age in the United States including US territories and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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
My opinion concerning the Zika virus is one that is strongly built upon the principle that government aid and funding in regards to health care is necessary to ensure the safety of American citizens. A fatal virus such as this one that spreads through a country at an exponential rate is not a epidemic to be taken lightly. Nor is it an issue that should be dismissed simply because of libertarians believing that healthcare should be handled at a private level because of the sinister idea of a large scale imposition of government aid that would provide assistance to citizens that are weeks, or even days, away from dying. The two biggest political parties of the U.S. seem to understand that this issue is a pressing one, and that funding to combat
A true leader influences greatness in others. Every leader needs someone to look up to as an example. In the epic poem Beowulf, the author creates an image for the reader of how a true leader should rule. In this story, Beowulf takes on a challenging leadership role and fights demonic creatures that terrorize the Danes. Through Beowulf’s heroic reign, he exemplifies the true meaning of a leader and advocates for others to do the same.
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 Zika virus has affected the world in many ways. It is killing most of the population of the world in diffrent countries, including the U.S.A. the virus has done bad things to this world and scientist are trying to put a stop to this virus. The virus has been know for 50 years but the reason why we are hearing about it know is because of the summer olympics in brazil where the virus is mostly now. The virus could affect some of the athletes competing in the summer olympics this year. The virus is spreading quickly through misquotes.
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
Over the last couple of months, the Zika virus started spreading all over South America, and they started to report more and more cases of the virus. The Zika virus eventually spread all the way into North America, and eventually it reached the United States. The United States little by little started reporting some cases, and the news stations eventually blew up the news. People all over the country started to worry about the virus and wanted immediate answers on how to not only protect themselves but also their families, and that’s exactly what BBC news and D news set out to do. The explanation of the virus is explained through two different genres, a news article BBC put out (Zika outbreak: What you need to